Nothing comes easy
by Axis26
Summary: Marco was Star's first friend when she came to earth and she thought that her feelings for him would always be just that. But what happens when an old friend of Marco's comes into the picture as well as a new friend of Star's? Will their friendship endure, break, or grow into something more? And what is this strange evil force who seems to have a hand in all of this?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, my name is Axis24 but I bet a lot of you already know that. I bet that at least some of you also know that I also write Phineas and Ferb fanfiction and have been advertising taking on another show for the past few weeks. Now I know I'm releasing this a little early but honestly, I can't stay up anymore. I am so tired from school that I simply can't. But no one cares about that right now, you all just want to read my disclaimer and the story so I'll just leave you alone for now.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Unrevealed OC's and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

It was yet another beautiful day at Echo Creek Academy and Marco and I had just finished our final class for the day. "You know, I thought that Miss Skullnick would actually teach us something today." Marco said as he followed me out of the classroom. Miss Skullnick had spent the entire class talking about how her latest date went, and because of her troll like form, it didn't go well. "I mean don't get me wrong, I enjoy having a class where we don't have to do anything, but that just means that we have to do all the studying ourselves."

"Oh, you worry too much Marco." I responded as I walked cheerfully down the hall.

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say." Marco said sounding depressed. "Do you even need to get good grades?"

I stopped and thought to myself. "Um … my mom said something about it, but I don't remember."

"You might want to check on that then." Marco said as he walked past me.

"Well it can't be that important if it's so boring." I said as I continued walking without a care in the world.

As we walked, Jackie passed by us, on her skateboard, headed in the same direction that we were. "Hey Star." She said as she passed.

"Hi Jackie!" I responded with a wave.

I watched as she turned a corner and Marco stood there with his head down. "Sometimes I don't think she even knows my name."

"Of course she does Marco." I said as I gave him a pat on the back. "She addressed you by name when you broke her last skateboard."

Marco gave me a slightly annoyed look. "Did you have to bring that up?" He asked.

I thought for a moment and realized my mistake. "Oh … sorry." An idea popped into my head and I began pushing Marco. "Well maybe it's time for you to talk to her." I said cheerfully.

"What?" Marco asked shocked. "I can tell you right now that's not going to end well."

"Nonsense." I said as I pushed him around the corner. "I'm sure that she secretly feels the same way about you Marco."

"S-S-Star?" Marco said after turning the corner.

I looked over his shoulder to see that Jackie was walking next to a boy with blond hair. "Is that … Justin?" I asked.

"Yes." Marco said, fear evident in his voice.

I looked at the two of them again, a little worried. "Well … I'm sure that they're just friends and there's nothing for you to worry about."

It was at that moment when I noticed Jackie holding Justin's hand and I heard what sounded like glass breaking. "I think that was my heart breaking." Marco said as he grasped his shirt.

I looked around and saw someone frantically trying to sweep up the remains of a broken vase. "Nah, it was just that guy." I said trying to cheer Marco up.

Marco turned around and began walking, almost like a corpse. "I feel dead inside." He said as he turned the corner again.

"Wait!" I shouted as I followed him. "The main exit is that way."

"I don't want to see them." Marco responded. "I'll go out the back way."

I looked at Marco, then in the opposite direction, if I followed Marco then I wouldn't be able to listen to Oskar's music, but if I went out the front then Marco would be walking home alone. I bit down on my nails and looked between the two options. "Oh what the hack, I can listen to Oskar's music tomorrow." And with that, I turned to follow Marco. "Wait up Marco!" I said as I caught up to him.

He turned around slightly to look at me. "Star?" He asked.

"I can't very well let my best friend walk home alone when he just had his heart broken, now can I?"

Marco smiled slightly. "Thanks Star."

Just then, a boy in a blue hoodie bumped into Marco causing both of them to lose their balance. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The boy said when he got his footing back. "I didn't mean to … I was just … I wasn't watching where I was going and … something."

I looked at the boy and noticed that he had glasses and disheveled dark red hair. "Oh don't worry about it." I said with a smile. "Marco's been through worse."

"Okay, that's good. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get going before the musical pain begins to play." He said as he rushed off.

"What was that about?" I asked. "What musical pain?"

"I haven't the foggiest." Marco said as he brushed himself off.

We continued walking and I tried to pick up our conversation again. "So where was I? … Oh yeah, I know that it might seem bad at the moment, but it could have been worse."

"How?" Marco asked.

"Well …" I began thinking. "She could have gotten together with Tom."

Marco's eyes went wide before he started shivering. "Thank you Star, I've always wanted to have horrible nightmares about Jackie and your ex."

"You're welcome." I said as I began skipping.

We left through the back exit and began walking home when Marco began to talk again. "How am I supposed to compete with Justin?" Marco asked. "He's a football player, AND he strong."

"You're a good fighter." I responded, trying to encourage him.

"I'm only a green belt." Marco responded.

"With a stripe." I added.

"Yeah, like that's impressive." Marco said as he hung his head.

"Jackie and Justin might not actually be together." I pleaded. "You never know."

"They were holding hands Star!" Marco exclaimed. "They were holding hands!" Marco sighed then turned back around.

I felt sad. "Marco look …" Just then, a portal opened in front of us and Ludo and his minions marched out.

"Ah, Star Butterfly, we meet again." Ludo said with a smug smile.

I shook my head. "Ludo, could you just … come back tomorrow or something?"

"No, I can't 'come back tomorrow or something.'" He exclaimed. "I'm here to take your wand and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

I looked at Marco, who still looked depressed, despite the fact that Ludo was right in front of us. "Ugh, fine. You ready Marco?"

"GET HER!" Ludo exclaimed.

Ludo's monsters charged and I pulled out my wand and pointed it at them. "Rainbow blast!" I shouted sending a blast of rainbow magic at them, colliding with Spikeballs making him fall on top of several other minions. Two of the other minions quickly ran around and started charging. "Rainbow blast!" I shouted again blasting one of them. I kicked the other one and jumped into the fray after Spikeballs got up. I quickly blasted two other monsters only for Bearicorn to try and jump attack me. "Antigravity annihilation!" I shouted, causing a ray beam to hit it. He floated for a second before instantly being sucked into the sky. "Well that didn't go as expected." I said as I looked at the last place I saw the Bearicorn before it vanished. I looked over to Marco to see Buff Frog charging him. "Marco, lookout!" I shouted.

Marco looked up, then stepped out of the way of Buff Frog's charge, causing him to crash into a lamp post. "Whatever." Marco said.

"Marco get your head in the game." I shouted before blasting another. "I know that you're upset, but there are monsters, you can mope later."

"Fine." Marco said as he back-fisted Buff Frog who had tried to sneak up on him

I blasted Man Arm who was trying to rush me then looked back at the Ludo's monsters. I was about to rush them when I heard the sound of Marco's phone. 'Space unicorn, soaring through the stars,'

"There's that awful ringtone again." Ludo exclaimed. "Seriously, why haven't you changed it?"

Marco pulled out his phone. "It's supposed to be ironic." Marco responded before answering. "Hi mom."

"Lemon geyser!" I shouted blasting lemon juice into Three-eyed Potato Baby's eyes, causing him to scream and run into a lamp post. "So what's up Marco?" I asked before blasting another monster with lemon juice.

Marco held up a finger as he listened. "Could you repeat that?" He asked as he back-fisted Buff Frog again. "Are you serious?" He asked.

I hit a monster over the head before looking back to Marco. "What's going on Marco?" I asked again.

"No way." He said happily. "Really?"

I blasted another before running over to Marco. "Marco, what is it? What's going on?"

"All right!" He exclaimed. "I'll be home as soon as possible." He hung up and looked over to me. "Star, let's wrap this up quick, we need to get home, and fast."

I sighed and turned to the horde of monsters who were charging us. "Teddy bear TIDAL WAVE!" I shouted causing a huge tidal wave of teddy bears to appear and sweep all of Ludo's minions away. "Now what is the big deal Marco?" I asked again.

"You'll see when we get home." He said as he grabbed my arm.

"You think you've won?" Ludo asked as he walked up to us. "Mark my words Star Butterfly, I"LL HAVE THAT WAND!" As he was ranting, Bearicorn fell from the sky and landed on Ludo.

"Well that worked out well." Marco said with a smile. "Now, let's hurry." He ran dragging me behind him, and although I was still curious as to what was going on, I was happy that Marco was now happy again.

Marco ran quickly and we managed to get home in less time than usual. "You still haven't told me what it is that you're so happy about Marco."

"You'll see." Marco said as he opened the door. When we got inside, I saw Marco's parents sitting with a girl with short blond hair, a light blue t-shirt, and jeans. "Stella!" Marco exclaimed as he walked over to her.

"Marco!" The girl exclaimed as she got up and walked over to him.

They hugged and I felt something odd. "It's great to see you again Stella."

"You too, Marco." She responded.

"Um … Marco? Who is she?" I asked.

They stopped hugging and Marco looked over at me. "Oh right, Star, this is Stella," He turned to Stella. "Stella, this is Star."

I walked over to her and offered my hand. "Nice to meet you Stella." I said as we shook hands.

"Nice to meet you too Star." Stella responded.

"Stella is another of the exchange students who stayed with us, once before." Marco explained.

I looked at the pictures to try to see which one she was.

"I'm on the top, third from the right." She answered.

I looked at the picture and my eyes went wide. "Oh …" I looked at her then back at the picture. "How long ago was this?"

"About five years." Marco's mother answered. "She's grown so much in that time."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Stella responded.

Marco hugged her from behind. "It's good to see you again, Stella."

Stella placed her hands on Marco's arms. "It's good to see you too, Marco."

They stopped hugging and held hands. "Hey, let me show you the room where you'll be staying."

"Sounds like a plan." Stella responded.

Both Marco and Stella rushed upstairs, while I stood there with a strange feeling in my chest like something vanished from within me. "Hey … why is she about to kiss Marco in the picture? Were they dating or something?"

"Oh havens no." Marco's mom responded.

I felt a sense of ease come over me. "Oh, that's good."

"Yeah, they were too young for that sort of thing but they were close." Mr. Diaz added.

"What?!" I asked shocked. "I mean … good for them." I said as I forced a smile. "Marco's crush from school just got together with someone, so this is perfect for him."

Both of them laughed. "Oh don't worry Star." Mrs. Diaz began. "I'm sure that Stella won't get between you and Marco."

"I'm not in love with Marco!" I exclaimed.

"I meant your friendship, Star." Mrs. Diaz clarified.

"Oh … well … okay." I ran upstairs quickly and into my room. "Whoa, that was strange." I said as I sat down on my bed. "I'm not in love with Marco … I wanted to set him up with Jackie, and I was upset for him when Jackie and Justin got together." I looked at my door. "It must be because I'm jealous about another exchange student, like when Charlie stayed for a while." I sighed. "Yeah, that must be it … I mean I like Oskar, not Marco." I laughed. "I mean Marco's my best friend … and I'm talking to myself."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Some unknown location)

It was a dark room, the only visible futures being a large mirror on one of the walls and a door on the opposite wall. The door slowly opened and a hooded figure walked into the room. The hooded figure walked over to the mirror and took to his knee. "Master, I have returned." The figure said in a voice that was disguised to the point that one could not tell gender, race, or anything else about them.

A dark silhouette appeared in the mirror. "Ah, very good my faithful servant, what do you have for me?"

"As you requested, I have been keeping an eye out and you were right, both candidates look promising." The figure responded.

"I know that, minion." The silhouette hissed. "That's why I told you to keep an eye on them."

"You are right master." The figure responded. "But I have to say that I've noticed some progress with … one of them."

"Progress?" the silhouette asked.

"Yes, but I would like to keep the specifics quiet in case of … prying eyes." The figure responded.

"Ah yes, we can't be too careful." The silhouette noted.

"Yes master." The figure responded. "But I can say that I think it is progress enough to … start taking a more active approach."

"I will decide if it is time to take a more active approach!" the silhouette demanded.

"Sorry master." The figure responded. "Don't be angry … but I already took a more active approach, and I think it caused the progress which I told you about."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" the silhouette demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, I had to, it was … essential."

"If it ruins my plan-"

"Then you dump the whole thing on me and find another servant. You forget what I have at stake in this, and I have reason to stay as your minion."

"Yes … you do." The silhouette noted. "Fine then, I trust your judgment. But if you jeopardize my plan, then everything will be blamed on you and I will sever our contract."

"I understand." The figure said. "And I will not let you down."

* * *

**Damn, I had a long day, I had to fix some placeholders that I had forgotten about, find a name for the story and damn was that annoying. But I digress, I will see you all next chapter.  
**

**R&amp;R**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is the second chapter and please, give me some predictions, it helps me write this story. The reason I'm posting another chapter of this story is because I finished one of my other stories and I wanted to celebrate. That's right, I am currently finished with 6 total chapters of this story and I've only posted 2 … well … finished is a relative term, I don't want to overwork my beta and I want to avoid continuity errors that I used to have so much damn trouble with. But I digress, to the reviews!**

**Ilovepandas1414: I do my best and I'm sure that there are a number of people who are happy that Axis24 has picked up SVTFOE fanfiction.**

**thesnowyowl13: I remember that story, it was one of my favorites to write. That story however was rushed in the end so I feel I didn't do it justice. Speaking of which, have you read my latest story in that fandome 'switching for a while?' I just finished it less than an hour ago and it's gotten some good reviews.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I aim to please.**

**Guest: I've been getting a lot of this kind of review and I like it.**

**H. Mae: Interesting predictions, I'm not going to give anything away about the kid in the blue hoodie but think about this for a moment; Star, Stella – Marco, kid in blue hoodie. Doesn't hit the ear right, does it?**

**Guest: I will talk about that at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, unrevealed OC's and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I was sitting on the bus on my way to school, alone, since Marco wanted to walk to school with Stella. It was more of an 'I didn't want to be a third wheel' sort of thing, seeing as Marco doesn't normally take the bus due to his motion sickness. "I wonder what they're talking about right now?" I asked myself as I looked out the window. The feeling in my chest from yesterday hadn't gone away and it was really starting to annoy me.

As I was looking out the window, the bus came to an unexpected stop. I looked to the front and saw the door open and Jackie, of all people, get on. "Hey Star." She said as she took a seat across from me.

"Hey Jackie." I responded. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you taking the bus when you usually ride your skateboard to school?"

"I don't always." She said as she pulled out her skateboard and placed a hand on it. "Sometimes I like to take it easy." She looked up at me. "And what's your story? I don't usually see you on the bus either."

I turned to the front. "I usually walk."

"So what happened today?" She asked. "And where's Marco?"

I rolled my eyes. "There's another foreign exchange student living at the Diaz residence and Marco wanted to walk with her to school and I didn't feel like being a third wheel."

"Sounds to me like you're jealous." Jackie replied.

"Maybe a little." I said, as I looked to the side. "But Marco is going through some … drama and he seems to really hit it off with this girl."

"What kind of drama?" Jackie asked.

I looked over at her. "Um … not my place to say." I looked around trying to think of a way to change the topic. "So I heard that you and Justin got together."

"What?" She asked as she almost laughed. "Where did you hear … wait a second, you and Marco saw Justin and me holding hands yesterday, didn't you?"

I looked at her, confused. "Yeah, why?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I fell to the floor and he offered to help me up. As it turned out, I fell on some quick drying glue that had been there, and we got our hands stuck together."

"Oooooooh." I responded. "So you aren't going out with Justin then?"

She shook her head. "No, Justin is an idiot and I'm not even looking for a boyfriend at the moment."

"Oh … good for you." I said as the feeling in my chest began to clear up. _Then I thought that Marco could go back to chasing Jackie if I tell him that she's not really dating Justin_. I thought.

"And even if I was I would sooner go out with Marco than Justin." Jackie added.

I instantly felt the strange feeling in my chest begin to form again. "Wait … what?"

"But don't tell Marco." Jackie quickly added. "Like I said, I'm not currently looking for a boyfriend."

"I mean, why Marco?" I asked.

She looked at me jokingly. "Seriously?" She asked. "You mean to tell me that you haven't noticed that Marco has a thing for me? Or that you think I haven't noticed that he has a thing for me?"

I laughed a little. "Yeah … the second one … sorry."

She smiled. "Don't worry about it, just don't tell Marco."

"Okay …" I began. "So … you do like Marco?"

"Haven't thought about it that much." She said as she looked to the front. "I mean he is funny, quirky, somewhat cute, smart, and he's a party animal; but telling him that I know would needlessly complicate things, and you said that he was getting close to that other exchange student, right?"

I looked back to the front. "Right."

"Yeah, so there's no need to really tell him, or think about him, when he's already happy with someone else."

"Yeah." I said nonchalantly.

"But please do tell him that I'm not dating Justin." She added. "I don't want people to think I'm with him."

"Okay." I responded as I continued to look toward the front.

Soon after, the bus arrived at the school and Jackie and I parted ways. As I walked into the school, I sat outside, to gather my thoughts. As I was sitting however, I noticed Marco and Stella arrive.

"Hi Star." Marco said as the two of them walked up to me. "I see you decided leave without us this morning."

"Hi Marco." I said as I stood up. "I just wanted to let the two of you spend some alone time together."

"What?" Stella asked.

Marco looked at me, confused. "We're not dating or anything Star, I told you that yesterday at dinner."

I thought back to yesterday and remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were teasing Marco and Stella about that yesterday. "I remember." I lied. "I meant to catch up and all. It has been a few years, right?"

"Oh, all right then." Marco responded. "I still need to show you around the school, don't I?" Marco asked as he turned to Stella.

"It is a new school." Stella replied.

"All right then." Marco answered. "We'll see you later, all right Star?"

"All right." I responded. "I'll see you around." I watched them walk off, and smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz might have been over exaggerating when they were talking about the two of them dating. I thought to myself. I mean sure they seem close but … it's not like they're actually going to become a couple. I laughed then began walking down the hall saying 'hi' to all my friends as I passed by.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Lunch time)

Lunch had started and Stella and I had made our way into the cafeteria and got our trays. "I can't believe how much everything has changed." Stella said as we walked to our seats. "I mean Miss Skullnick being a troll is one thing, but everyone is just so … different."

"Really?" I asked. "I guess I just haven't noticed with being around them all the time."

"Well … almost everyone." She added.

"Really?" I asked. "Who's still the same?"

She laughed. "You're still the safe kid I always knew, that's what hasn't changed."

"What?!" I retorted. "I'm not safe, I like to live on the edge and look danger in the face and laugh."

"You detoured around a hallway because someone dropped a soda."

"That was a perfectly reasonable reaction." I defended. "It's your first day back and I would hate it if you slipped and hurt yourself." I said before taking a sip of my milk.

"All right then, wild boy." She said as she rested her chin in her cupped hands. "Have you told Jackie that you are in love with her yet?"

I stopped drinking and put my milk down. "Jackie … is dating someone else at the moment."

"Wow, that's rough buddy." Ferguson said, as he and Alfonzo took a seat across from us. "I mean with the whole you being madly in love with her thing, that must be really harsh."

"You don't need to rub salt in the wound Ferguson." I said with a leer.

"Ferguson?" Stella asked. "Is that really you?"

"Why yes it is." He said as he leaned over the table and placed his chin in the palm of his hand. "And what might your name be hot stuff?"

She laughed. "It's me, Stella, remember?"

Ferguson's eyes went wide before he backed off. "Oh … hi." He looked from side to side. "You're not going to beat me up for hitting on you, are you?"

She laughed again. "Oh Ferguson, I'm already going to beat the living daylights out of you for not recognizing me so you don't have to worry about that."

"I don't feel better." Ferguson replied.

"Hi friends!" I heard Star announce as she walked over to our table. She took a seat on the other side of me and smiled. "So I guess you two have already meat Stella." She asked Alfonzo and Ferguson.

"Oh yeah, we know her from the last time she visited back in grade school." Alfonzo explained.

"Glad to see you remember me Alfonzo." Stella commented.

Ferguson rolled his eyes. "So in other news, I was about to write my will and I was wondering if there was anything of mine that you wanted."

Star looked at Ferguson, confused. "Are you sick or something?" She asked.

"No, Stella was upset that Ferguson didn't recognize her and now he's scared that she's going to kill him for it." Alfonzo explained.

Star looked over at Stella. "She can't be that tough, can she?"

"She's tougher than she looks." I explained.

"Yeah, she's got a brown belt." Ferguson added.

"That was five years ago Ferguson." Stella noted. "Since then I've reached the rank of black belt, and I'm kind of insulted that you doubted my ability to reach that rank."

Ferguson pushed his tray away. "Does anyone want my lunch? I don't want to waste good nourishment."

"I don't think what the school is making us ingest qualifies as nourishment." I added.

Star and Stella laughed. "You know, if Jackie doesn't like you then it's her loss." Stella noted. "You're a cool guy with a great sense of humor."

"Thanks Stella." I said as I scratched the back of my head.

"That reminds me." Star began. "I just found out-" An ear splitting noise interrupted Star and caused all of us, except Star, to cover our ears.

"What is that noise?" Stella questioned.

Star looked around before she saw something that caused hearts to appear in her eyes. "He's doing a lunch time concert." She said before running off.

"Must be Oscar." I said as I watched Star run off.

"Who?" Stella asked.

"Oscar." Ferguson answered. "The worst keytar player in the history of keytar players."

I looked around and saw Oscar sitting near the exit playing his keytar and everyone in the vicinity either shrieking in pain or moving away. "Looks like we're not leaving any time soon." I said as I got up. "We should move now before the far seats get taken."

"Best idea I've ever heard." Stella said as she also got up.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was listening to Oscar's majestic tunes as they painted a fantasy in my head. "I wonder what kind of record he has." I asked myself.

"How can you stand this horrible noise?" I heard someone ask from behind me.

I quickly turned around to see a boy in a blue hoodie and brown cargo pants, with red hair, and glasses. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "This is the best music I've ever heard."

"You must be tone deaf then." He responded.

I griped my wand and leered at him. "Do you know who I am?"

"Someone with poor taste in music?" He asked.

I pointed my wand at him. "NARWHAL BLAST!" I shouted trying to blast him in the face for his rudeness.

He ducked out of the way at the last second, with a terrified look on his face. "I guess that's my cue to run away then." He gave a quick wave. "See ya." He took off faster than me when my dad asks if I'll listen to one of his lectures. He ran out the exit and I gave chase.

"Rainbow blast!" I shouted trying to blast him again, only to miss. He continued to run and tried to turn a corner. "Cupcake blast!" I shouted causing a blast of cupcakes to cut him off, forcing him to run in the other direction.

He instantly hit a dead end and turned around to see me blocking his only means of escape. "Well this isn't good." He said as he looked at me.

"You don't say." I said as I walked up to him, as I repeatedly smacked my wand into my free hand. "Now what did you say about Oscar's wonderful music?"

"It sucks." He replied. "And being threatened by Star Butterfly isn't going to change that."

My wand dropped to my side as he mentioned my name. "How did you know my name?" I asked.

"You're kidding right?" he asked. "You're Star Butterfly, the most popular girl in the entire school. You like fighting and apparently are into really crappy music."

I leered at him before I noticed something interesting. "Hey, you're that guy who bumped into Marco the other day."

"That would be me." He replied.

My eyes went wide as I realized something else. "You were referring to Oscar's music when you said musical pain, weren't you?"

"Well I didn't know you were also a master of the obvious." He said sarcastically. "My whole world has been turned upside-down."

"You can stop being sarcastic kid." I hissed.

"You know I have a name right?" He asked.

"Pray tell." I said as I crossed my arms.

"Marcus." He answered. "My names Marcus."

"Well, nice to meet you Marcus." I said as I offered my hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Star." He said as he shook my hand.

Just then the bell rang and Marcus smiled. "Well, looks like I have to be on my way to class." He said as he began walking off.

"See you later Marcus." I said with a wave. "Wait a minute." I paused. "Stop right there, I'm not done with you!"

"Later!" He said before running off.

I leered, then began walking to class. When I got to class I saw Marco had already beat me there, but Stella was nowhere to be found. "Hey Marco." I said as I took a seat next to him. "Where's Stella?"

"Not in this class." Marco responded. "Now where did you run off to during lunch?"

I looked toward the front. "I had to take care of something important." I said, annoyed.

Marco shrugged. "Well you missed Oscar get a detention for disrupting the peace during lunch hour."

"Some people just don't understand the fine arts." I said as I slid deeper into my chair, my arms crossed.

"Sure … fine arts." At that moment the teacher walked in and class started.

* * *

**Alright, first thing is first. As Axis24, I have a lot of OC's but only one that I've used in nearly every story, his name is Erick and I will NOT be putting him directly in this story for three reasons. One, he is a P&amp;F OC, not an SVTFOE OC. Two, he is a lot in common with Marco and it kinda feels like there's really no need for him. And lastly, when I confronted my OC about being in this story (yes I confronted a fictional character about being in the story) he looked at me like I was crazy, pulled out his contract, and said that he is only required to do P&amp;F stories and refused to be added to this one.**

**R&amp;R**


	3. Chapter 3

**So … I feel like I may … end up … having a massive panic attack tomorrow … which is why I'm putting this chapter up tonight. If I end up feel good tomorrow night then I will post the following chapter but after that, I won't post another chapter until I finish with my P&amp;F story. Now for the reviews.**

**Steel Razer: They are? I hadn't noticed.**

**Ilovepandas14: I will, after I finish my other story.**

**Guest: I don't think its AU … why do you think it's AU?**

**thesnowyowl13: End of summer? Are you joking or something? Summer hasn't even started. As for Marcus, you'll find out more about him in this chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Or all three … actually I don't think I know the answer to that one.**

**Guest: I will.**

**Guest: Glad you like it.**

**H. Mae: Yeah, Erick want's some time off before I make another story with him in it.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(After the last class of the day)

The final class of the day had just ended, and Marco and I were making our way out of the school. "I swear, sometimes it feels as though Miss Skullnick doesn't even know how to teach sometimes." Marco noted.

"I'm sorry that you only share two classes with Stella." I said as I kicked the floor.

"What's there to be sorry about?" Marco asked. "What does it matter if I share any classes with her?"

"Well ... you like her, don't you?" I asked.

Marco sighed. "Star, this is the third time I'm telling you, Stella and I aren't dating."

"But you still like her right?" I asked.

Marco stopped walking and sighed. "Look Star, sure we're close and ... maybe if she had stayed, then the two of us could have had something; but now I only see her as a friend." I felt a sense of ease come over me as Marco explained that he didn't have feelings for Stella. "Almost forgot, what did you want to tell me earlier?"

I looked at him confused. "Tell you … earlier?" I asked.

"Yeah, back at lunch." He answered.

"Oh that." I began. "Well you see Marco, I found out that-" I stopped when I noticed Marcus walking around a corner then quickly turning around the second he saw me. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" I asked. I began chasing Marcus, eager to make him pay for what he said earlier. "GET BACK HERE YOU!" I shouted as I gave chase. He ran out of the building and I followed him, but quickly stopped when I hit the parking lot and heard the sound of Oscar's music. He was sitting and playing his keytar, on his car again, with the usual crowd of other students doing a strange dance where they cover their ears and run around like crazy. "Hi." I said as I walked up to his car.

He continued playing for a short time before he looked at me. "Hey."

I continued listening for a while, before giving chase to Marcus again.

It wasn't hard for me to catch up to him, and when he was within range, I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him. "Cheese ray!" A stream of various cheeses erupted from my wand and nailed Marcus, forcing him to fall over. "I have you now!" I shouted when I reached him and pointed my wand at his face. "Now say you're sorry for lying."

"Oscar plays crappy music." Marcus replied. "Threatening my life isn't going to change how utterly horrible his skills are."

I was filled with fury and my hand began shaking. I was ready to blast him, at point blank range, and make him pay for being so mean; but I just sighed and lowered my wand. "Do you have a death wish or something?" I asked as placed my hands on my hips.

"Is there a problem with just being honest?" He asked as he got to his feet. "I don't like his music and I expressed my opinion of it, what reason would I have to lie about that?"

I rolled my eyes. "I guess you do have a point there … but you still don't have to so rude about it."

He took a few steps back as his eyes went wide. "S-S-S-Star?" He said as he pointed behind me.

I turned around to see Ludo and his minions. "Ludo." I said as my eyes narrowed. "Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday? Or any of the other times Marco and I beat you?"

"Yes I have Star." Ludo replied. "Or have you not noticed that your body guard isn't here?"

"My body guard?" I asked.

"Yes, that boy with the red hoodie." Ludo answered.

"You mean Marco?" I asked. "Marco isn't my body guard, he's my friend."

"Friend, body guard, partner, boyfriend, it doesn't matter. He's not here and I'm going to take that wand from you!" Ludo declared.

"Marco is not my boyfriend." I exclaimed.

"Um … so seeing as I'm not being counted, can I go?" Marcus asked.

"Don't you go anywhere." I demanded as I turned back around. "You and I still have a talk to finish."

"Get her!" Ludo demanded. "And her servant as well."

I raised my wand and pointed it at the approaching hoard. "Jawbreaker blast!" A bunch of spherical white objects manifested and went flying in the direction of the hoard colliding with one of Ludo's minions and knocking him down. I heard something from behind me and saw Big Chicken about to pounce me, so I fired another blast that sent him flying. I looked over to where Marcus was, thinking that he would be trying to run for his life; but instead he was holding some sort of stick with a small cylinder at the end in one hand, and some small handheld device in the other hand. He had also somehow gotten gloves on in the short time I wasn't looking at him. He lit a string that was on the stick and pointed it at Three-eyed Potato Baby. The stick flew like a missile, leaving behind a wondrous display of light and color, until it collided with Three-eyed Potato Baby causing him to fall to the ground.

"Ooooooo." I said as I walked up to Marcus. "I didn't know that there were humans that knew magic."

What?" He asked as he lit another stick, sending it flying at Bearicorn. "This isn't magic." He said as he pulled out another and aimed it at another monster. "These are fireworks." He said as the stick he was holding went flying.

"Oooooooo." I said as I watched. "Can I try one?"

"Sorry." He said as he pulled out another three. "Professionals only." The three sticks went flying at another three minions.

"Oooooooooo." I pointed my wand at a monster that was trying to blindside us. "Jawbreaker blast." I said without taking my eyes off Marcus.

Marcus then pulled out a large cylindrical tube from inside his hoodie. "And what's that?" I asked.

"This." He said as he lit a small rope at the end. "Is a roman candle."

"Wow, a candle from Rome." I said as I watched the rope burn.

"It's not a candle from Rome it's …" He looked at the candle. "Just watch." When the rope finished burning, the candle started firing a barrage of colored fire like a machine gun. "Cool." I said, star-struck.

I stood back to back with Marcus and blasted Ludo's minions as they tried to attack us. When Marcus's candle ran out, he pulled out another and lit that one as well. "Where do you get those things?" I asked.

"I make them myself." He said as his candle started firing.

"You make those yourself?" I asked in awe as I blasted another one of Ludo's monsters.

"Of course I do. I'm a professional."

I turned back around and continued to blast monsters until Marcus's second candle ran out. "Do you have any more of those?" I asked.

"Not on me, but I don't think I'm going to need anymore." He said as we both looked around at the defeated monsters that lay around us. "Look out." Marcus said as he pushed me aside and pulled out what looked like a wand and lit it.

I turned around to see that he was pointing his wand at Buff Frog, who had tried to get the jump on me; and the wand was now sparkling at the tip. Buff Frog took a few steps back in fear, while Marcus kept advancing. "What's this one supposed to do?" I asked.

Marcus gave a week laugh. "Well …" The wand stopped sparkling and nothing happened. "I was going for another missile but grabbed a sparkler by mistake."

I blasted Buff Frog with a rainbow blast without looking away from Marcus. "It's still cute."

"Can't I ever get a break!?" Ludo exclaimed. "The one time I catch her without her body guard, she has a new one ready to protect her."

"Marco isn't my body guard." I reminded Ludo.

"Whatever!" Ludo exclaimed as he pulled out his dimensional scissors and opened a portal to his own dimension. His minions slowly got up and followed; and before long it was just the two of us.

"Those are some pretty amazing weapons you've got there." I said, smiling.

"They're not weapons." Marcus retorted. "They're supposed to be just for show."

"Oooooo." I said interested. "Do you think you can show me?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well … I don't think-"

"I'll stop being angry about your insulting Oscar's music."

"Deal!" Marcus shouted. "Oh, but do you think we could wait till tomorrow? I only get the fireworks practice field on Saturdays."

"Okay." I said eagerly. "First thing tomorrow."

"They work best at night." He added.

"After sunset then." I added.

"All right then, it's a date." Marcus paused as I blushed. "Deal! Deal! It's a deal, not a date!"

I giggled. "All right then, it's a deal." I put emphasis on the word 'deal.'

"All right." He said nervously.

"All right. See you tomorrow … Marcus." I giggled as I walked away. "He's nice." I said when he was out of earshot.

* * *

**So a lot of people have pointed out that Marcus sounds a lot like Marco and Stella sounds a lot like Star. Now I'm not going to say this is a coincidence but I'm also not saying it's really important to the story. Then again, maybe I'm trying to lure you into a false sense of security so that you don't expect it … that would be so like me … and now no one knows what I have planned and I like it that way. Now to go to sleep so I don't fail my two finals tomorrow.**

**R&amp;R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Holly monkey fethers, this story took off faster than I thought. Only three chapters and it already has 27 reviews, I need to get working on this story more … but … I must first finish 'Poker Night' and that will take time … some time but time it will still take. Now I guess I could talk about myself somewhat … or I could just skip to the reviews.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: I do like hearing your predictions; they point out things I didn't know about.**

**Rainbowlaserparty: Why thank you.**

**PFTones3482: Oh, you're too kind.**

**H. Mae: Well that other story you mentioned took more than five times as long as it was supposed to and I so hope that this one doesn't.**

**bigmike33321: I'm not sure I will be making a sequel to this story but what I will do is continue writing for SVTFOE.**

**Steel Razer: Why thank you.**

**Sabrina06: Well I'll get it out as fast as I can.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Glad you like it.**

**Guest: Well, I try my best.**

**adventuremaker16: Although I don't ship Wendy and Dipper I was planning on a SVTFOE/Gravity falls crossover at some point … I should also throw Phineas and Ferb into that too, shouldn't I?**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I think your forgetting one minor detail … that you will be reminded of at the end of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I rushed back to the house, excited for tomorrow night. I was going to get a private fireworks show and all I had to do was stop being angry at Marcus's opinion of Oscar's music. When I got back to the house I found Mrs. Diaz in the living room vacuuming. "Oh, good evening Star, welcome home."

"Hi Mrs. Diaz." I said as I rushed upstairs. When I got to my room I threw my door open and threw myself on my bed.

"I'm going to get my own fireworks show!" I said cheerfully. "I hardly know what it is, but I get my own private show."

Just then, I heard my mirror begin to ring and looked over to it to see that my mom was calling. "Wonder what she wants." I asked myself as I walked over. I answered and saw my mom in the mirror in her usual royal dress.

"Ah, Star, I'm glad your home. I wanted to check up and see how you've been adjusting to life on Earth."

"I'm doing fine Mom." I responded. "I've been here for quite some time, so I'm well adjusted."

"I'm just checking is all." She responded. "And how is your school work going?"

I looked at her, confused. "School … work?"

"Why yes. You are still a foreign exchange student, it's important that you do well in school."

"Of … course." I said nervously. "Just out of curiosity, what happens if I don't do well in school?"

"Why, we send you to St. Olga's of course."

I felt my stomach drop, as a sense of grave fear came over me. "You mean St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses?"

"Yes Star." My mom responded. "But that's only if you don't do well, so you shouldn't worry about that."

I looked over to my desk where I had a few tests that I got back; all had F's. "Yeah." I responded halfheartedly. "I shouldn't have to worry."

"Well that's all well and good. So, have you made any new friends?"

"What? Of course I have. You do know who you're talking to, right?"

"I'm sorry, I meant have you met anyone special."

I looked at her confused. "Special?"

"Yes Star. You are at that age where you start to develop those kinds of feelings. I want to know if you ever need someone to talk to, then you can just call me."

"Okay, can we stop talking about this now?" I asked.

"I just want to make sure you don't end up with another boy like Tom again."

"I'm NEVER going to fall for a guy like Tom EVER again in my life!" I snapped.

"Very well Star, but is there anyone I should know about who might end up being our future king?"

"I don't have a boyfriend Mom." I stated.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief. "No dates? No plans?"

"No dates mom, and the only plans I currently have is a private show that someone is giving me tomorrow."

"Ah, so there is someone." She noted.

"It's not like that Mom." I pleaded.

"Looks to me like someone is trying to court you."

"Sorry bad connection!" I quickly pressed the disconnect button to end the call. "When did my mom get so interested in my love life?" I asked myself.

"No idea." I heard Marco say from my door.

I looked over at him, surprised. "How long have you been listening?" I asked.

"Not long." He responded. "All I heard was that you have plans for tomorrow."

"Oh … that." I said nervously. "Look, I'm sure that I could bring along a friend-"

"NO!" He exclaimed, almost afraid. "I mean … it's not necessary. I know you've wanted to get some alone time with Oscar."

"It's not … ugh." I shook my head. "Was there something you wanted to talk about, or did you just stand there to listen to my conversation with my mom?"

"Oh, right." Marco stated. "I just wanted to apologize."

I looked at him curiously. "For what?"

He looked away. "For … everything that's happened the past few days." He sighed. "Ever since Jackie and Justin got together, I've … been more depressed lately, and I've been ignoring you, and spending more time with Stella, and less time with you."

"Marco, you don't have to-"

"I do." Marco interrupted. "You're my best friend and I should be spending more time with you."

I smiled. "Awe, Marco." I said with a smile. "Hugs!" I pulled Marco into a hug and squeezed him tight.

"All right Star, now what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

My eyes opened wide. I still hadn't told Marco that Jackie wasn't really dating Justin. "Oh um …" _Should I tell him?_ I thought. _I mean, he'll be happy that Jackie isn't dating Justin, right? … But … what difference would it really make? _"I wanted to tell you that I found out that I have to get good grades or my parents are going to send me to St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses." I said as I began biting my nails.

"Are you serious?" Marco asked, worried. "How are your grades looking right now?" He asked.

I crossed my arms and looked down. "Not so good Marco."

"Need help studying?" Marco asked.

"Please?" I asked with a smile.

"Sure, let me just get my notes."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I walked back to my room and quickly started looking for my notes from school. I had just found them and was about to go and help Star when I saw Stella standing in my doorway. "Studying?" She asked.

"Helping Star, she wanted me to study with her." I answered.

She rolled her eyes. "No one wants to study, Marco."

I shrugged. "Well sure, but she needs help with school so I'm going to help her."

She shook her head. "So anyway, what's she like?"

"You mean Star?" I let out a small laugh. "Well, she's nice, optimistic, she loves helping people, she'll never stop when she gets going, she's magic-"

"Ah, magic." Stella interrupted. "So you're in love with her then?"

"What?" I asked as I looked at her. "No, I'm not … in love with her, she literally has magic powers and is from another dimension. You mean to tell me you didn't notice this?"

"Kind of assumed as much when I saw her room." She added. "Also, she doesn't seem to like me that much."

"She'll warm up to you." I said as I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "She just easily gets jealous is all. Earlier this year, another one of my favorite exchange students stayed with us and she was suspicious that he had some secret and wasn't who he said he was."

"Well how is she going to react when she finds out that I'm your number one favorite foreign exchange student?"

I paused. "Um … well." I scratched the back of my head. "That's a loaded question you're asking."

She paused. "I'm not your favorite anymore?"

"That is also a loaded question." I added.

"I was never your favorite, was I?" She asked.

"You were one of my favorites." I answered. "I never actually had a number one favorite until …" I looked away.

"Until Star?" She asked.

I sighed. "Yeah." I looked away again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She replied. "Just promise me that I will still be one of your favorites."

I walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise." We both smiled and hugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to help Star not get sent to St. Olga's."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(The same location as with the end of chapter 1)

The room was quiet, not a sound in the dimension, until the door opened and the hooded figure walked through and took to knee. "Master, I have returned." The figure said once again.

A dark silhouette, once again, appeared in the mirror. "Welcome back my faithful servant, what news have you?"

"I have been continuing to take a more active approach, and I think that it may help progress with one of the candidates."

"Which one?" The silhouette asked.

"The second one." The figure answered. "The first one, although more promising, doesn't show much progress, to the point where I don't think the first candidate is as promising as the second anymore."

"Nevertheless, you will continue to keep an eye out and work on all three candidates."

The figure paused. "Three master? I was only aware of two."

"Well I've been keeping an eye on progress myself, since you started taking your more active approach,; and I've noticed that there might be a third candidate that may end up being just what I was looking for."

"Will I meet this third candidate?" The figure asked.

"In time, you will, but for now I am looking into some additional help, and will require you to not make contact with me for some time."

"I understand." The figure responded. "I will not fail you."

"Excellent." The silhouette said with a smile. "And don't worry, you will be rewarded for your service."

* * *

**Alright, first thing's first, I finished my last final and now I'm back home with my main computer and it's so damn clunky, they keyboard is stiff and the mouse cable almost doesn't reach the computer. Now for more important stuff, what do you think the mysterious people are up to? Seriously, I've been writing this knowing what's going to happen with them for so long that I don't know what you people in the dark think. Please leave a review stating what you think.**

**R&amp;R**


	5. Chapter 5

**I always like it when people make predictions about my stories. It also tells me what they know and man, you guys are really in the dark, I mean more than I thought, and that's alright with me. Now normally I would continue with something or other but I'll just go right into the reviews and talk at the end of the chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Glad you like it.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: I always like hearing your predictions for some reason, I'm not going to say if you're right but I like hearing them.**

**Steel Razer: I'm not going to say yes or no but you might be right and you might be wrong.**

**H. Mae: I like asking loaded questions, they make me feel important. Also a few of your questions will be answered in this chapter.**

**Guest: Don't worry, I have a lot more.**

**TheWriteMonster: Tips? Well … honestly I have been at this for some time so I have a lot of people following me so I don't really know what advice to give.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next morning)

I had only just gotten up and changed when I walked downstairs to see that the Diaz's had thrown Stella a party for her third day here. "Good morning Star." Marco said when he noticed me.

"Good morning everyone." I said cheerfully as I joined Marco, his parents, and Stella.

"You're up late, Star." Mr. Diaz noted. "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"No trouble." I answered. "I just … forgot to set my alarm." I lied. In truth, I was actually hopping to miss the party the Diaz's had thrown for Stella but it would appear that I didn't have much luck.

"Well glad you could make it." Marco replied. "It would be a shame if you missed this party."

I laughed slightly. There would just be another one for her tomorrow. I thought. "Anyway, Marco, what's the plan for later today?" I asked as I took a slice of cake.

Marco swallowed a bite of cake. "Didn't you have a private show to go to?"

"That's not 'till tonight." I answered. "So what's on the agenda?"

Marco looked at Stella then back at me. "Um … well … I thought that you were going to be busy all day so …"

"Marco and I had plans on practicing." Stella finished.

I felt the empty feeling inside me get a little more intense, but I didn't let it show.

"But you can come with us." Marco added.

"No, that's all right." I replied. "I'll just meet up with him ahead of time and we can hang out before the show." I put down what was left of my plate and made my way to the door. "Maybe Ludo will attack and …" I paused. "Nah, after yesterday I don't think his henchmen are up for another go."

"Wait … you fought Ludo yesterday?" Marco asked.

I smiled as I opened the door. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Marcus helped me fight him off."

Marco looked at me surprised. "Marcus?"

I nodded as I looked back. "Yeah, the guy who's giving me a private show today. Bye!" I closed the door and quickly began walking.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I watched as Star left the house leaving with more questions than answers and a broken feeling inside me. "Who's Marcus?" I asked.

Stella shrugged. "I thought that you would know."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" My mom asked.

"You think it's the Dixon's?" My dad asked.

"The Dixon's?" I asked. "Who are they?"

"The other major foreign exchange student hosting family." My mom answered. "They get slightly less than us, but they are still great people."

"How come I've never heard about them?" I asked.

"You never asked." My mom answered.

"Isn't their son talented with pyrotechnics?" My dad asked.

"Did you say pyrotechnics?" I asked. "As in fireworks?"

"Yes, he's really talented from what I've heard." My mom added.

"Wait wait wait." I said as I waved my hands. "Fireworks? As in, explosions of fire and color, fireworks? As in the exact thing that Star loves almost as much as fighting?"

"Jealous of having more competition for Star's affection than just Oscar?" Stella asked with a coy look on her face.

"What?" I asked defensively. "I'm … not in love with Star … I'm just worried about her." I looked over at the door. "I should talk to her." I began making my way to the door before Stella grabbed my hood causing me to fall over backwards.

"Oh no, if you think you're going to skip out on our practice day then you have another thing coming." She said as she began dragging me back upstairs.

"But what about Star?" I asked.

"Tell her you love her the next time you see her."

"I don't love her!" I retorted.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I had rushed out of the house so fast that I didn't stop to realize that I didn't know where Marcus actually lived, or where the actual practice field was. "Maybe I should have thought this through." I said as I wandered around. "I wonder if I'm lost." I said as I looked around.

"You could be; unless you're looking for me." I heard someone say from behind me.

I turned around to see Jackie skateboarding over to me. "Hi, Jackie." I responded. "I'm looking for the practice field."

"That's not specific." She responded. "But if you're looking for the skate park then you're at the right place."

I looked up and saw a sign that had a skateboard on it. "Oh."

"You want to hang out for a while?" She asked.

"Sure." I answered. "But didn't you come here to skate?"

"I can always skate tomorrow or later today." She responded.

"Cool." I responded. I began walking and Jackie followed along on her skateboard.

"So why are you looking for a practice field?" She asked.

"Someone is giving me a private show." I said cheerfully.

She looked at me nervously. "You don't mean Oscar, do you?"

I gave her a confused look. "Well no, but why so scared?"

"No reason." She responded quickly. "So who are you seeing?"

"Oh, just a boy named Marcus." I said cheerfully. "He's giving me a fireworks show."

She looked at me and would have stopped if she wasn't on a skateboard. "Marcus? As in, Marcus Dixon?"

"Dixon?" I asked. "Don't know if that's his last name but why is that important?"

"He the only student in the school who is actually qualified to host a fireworks show." She said enthusiastically. "And you scored a date with him?"

"It's not a date. And how haven't I heard about him if he's so famous?"

"He's not famous, he's unique." She responded. "His family has also hosted the second most foreign exchange students." She gave me a smile. "You might have ended up with his family if you didn't end up with the Diaz's."

I stopped and Jackie stopped shortly after. "Wow …" I resumed walking. "This is going to be a great show."

She laughed. "I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Why?" I asked.

She looked over to where she was going. "He might be the only student with a license, but he's far from professional."

I smiled and looked forward. "Well, I've never actually seen a fireworks show before, so I'm sure I'll think it's awesome."

She laughed. "How exactly did you score a private show in the first place?"

"Trade secret." I responded.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

With Jackie's help I managed to find the practice field where I was supposed to meet Marcus for my show. "Thank you Jackie." I said as we arrived.

"No problem Star." She responded. "It was nice to hang with you today." She got back on her board. "I'll see you Monday then?"

"You're not staying?" I asked.

"I don't want to be a third wheel." She said as she took off. "See you around, Star Butterfly."

"See ya, Jackie!" I said with a wave.

"Star?" I heard from behind me. "You've arrived earlier than expected."

I turned around to see Marcus. "Marcus!" I exclaimed.

"Nice to see you too, Star." He said with a smile.

"Even though the whole reason you're here is because you don't like Oscar's music?"

"I was going to practice today anyway and having company is just nice, so yes, I don't regret thinking that his music is torture."

"You're pretty daring." I said as I wrapped an arm around the back of his neck.

"Ha ha ha." He laughed nervously. "I'm almost ready so could you not kill me before that?"

"Fine, but only because you promised me a show." We began walking out to the field.

He directed me to the top of a hill in the middle of the field, where I looked around. "So where are the fireworks?" I asked.

"I still have a few things to check." He responded. "Not to mention, the sun is still out." He looked over at the horizon. "Maybe I could … let's try it."

"Try what?" I asked.

"I'm going to try something." He said with a smile before running off. "I'll be quick."

I watched him run then looked at the sun. It was a few minutes from setting and I was excited for the start of the show. When Marcus finally returned, the sun still hadn't set. "You ready for a show?" He asked.

"The sun is still up." I responded.

"Not for long." He said with a smile as he pulled out a black pad.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"It's a tablet." He said as he took a seat next to me. "I use it for my shows."

I shrugged and looked around. "So where should I be looking?"

He smiled. "The sunset."

I looked out at the sunset and waited. When the sun finally set, two rockets went off, flanking where the sun went down, before quickly lighting up the darkness of the horizon. When the two rockets hit their apex, they exploded. Shortly after two more went off next to those, then three more rows went off after that before more went off going in the reverse direction.. "Oooo." I said as I watched.

When they reached back to where they started, all the rockets went off again at the same time, then exploding in rapid succession. "How did you manage that?" I asked.

"Practice and timing." He responded before more went off in front of us. There was a number of fireworks that went off, some screamed, some looked like a rainbow volcano, some that looked like a willow tree and there were even some wheels. "Is that supposed to happen?" I asked as something began smoking.

"Just watch." Was all he said. Before long, the smoke took color and more smoke started until there was an entire rainbow.

"This is amazing." I said as I watched.

"Glad you like it." He said as he set off even more. His fireworks continued to light up the sky for a short time before he took a deep breath. "And now, for the finale." I was about to ask him what was going on when the same fireworks from the beginning went off again.

"It must have taken a while to set all this up." I said as I watched. When the fireworks reached the front again, a whole bunch went off in a finale that I was sure I would never forget.

"And now for the end." He hit a button and there was a moment of pause. As I waited however, nothing happened. "Oh, come on!" He exclaimed as he hit the button again. "If it's not a problem with getting the shapes to be right then it's a problem getting them to go off." Just then, one final rocket went off and launched higher into the sky then any of the others. When it reached its apex, it went out, then exploded into a star shape, inside of a butterfly. "Still can't get the right color." He said, disappointed.

"Don't be like that." I responded. "It's still beautiful."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

I was walking back to the Diaz residence, with Marcus, seeing as I almost got lost on my way to the field, Marcus had offered to walk with me so that wouldn't happen again. "Thanks again for the show, Marcus." I said with a smile.

"It was my pleasure." He responded. "Not to mention, I enjoyed hanging out with you."

"I enjoyed hanging out with you, too. Can't wait 'till next time."

"Next time?" He asked.

"Yeah, the next time we get to hang out." I answered. He looked at me, surprised, so I decided to elaborate. "We are friends now, aren't we?"

His eyes went wide. "Oh … yeah, I guess we are … "

When we reached the Diaz residence I hugged Marcus and we parted ways. "Bye Marcus, see you Monday."

"All right." He said as he walked away. "See you Monday."

I turned around and walked over to the house. When I opened the door, I noticed Marco sitting in the living room with a plate of nachos, watching T.V. "Star?" He asked as he looked over at me.

"Hey Marco." I said as I took a seat next to him. "How was practice?"

"Painful." Marco said as he rubbed his arm. "Stella isn't one to take it easy, even on someone with a lower rank."

I giggled as I ate a chip. "By the way, where is she?"

"Upstairs, in her room." He answered. "She has some homework to catch up on." Marco took a nacho. "So how was the show?" He asked before eating it.

"Like nothing I've seen on Earth before." I replied dreamily. "Fireworks remind me of the magic sky shows we have on Mewni."

Marco picked up another chip. "Sounds like you've made a new friend."

"Well yeah, but this is the second time I got off on the wrong foot with someone before becoming friends with them."

Marco turned to look at me. "How so?" He asked.

"He doesn't like Oscar's music." I explained. "He told me that it sounded bad and I nearly took his head off for saying it." I giggled. "He ran, I chased him, I caught up to him, he said that he still hates Oscar's music. Then the bell rang, I found him after school, I chased him again, I caught up to him, he said that he still hates Oscar's music. Ludo attacked, Marcus helped me fight him off, I said how much I-"

"Wait a minute." Marco interrupted as he turned to face me. "Ludo attacked?"

"Yeah, yesterday." I answered. "Marcus was there to help me fight him off. I told you that this morning."

Marco continued to look at me, at a loss for words. "And … he still doesn't like Oscar's music?" I shook my head. "And you didn't blast him?" I shook my head again. Marco turned to look at the T.V. for a moment before continuing. "I'm going to go upstairs now." Marco got up and walked upstairs leaving me alone and confused.

* * *

**Alright, so I know I said that I wouldn't continue this story until I finished my other but I have hit some writers block with that story, hence why I've been posting for this one. Now I haven't canceled my other story, I just need some time to get my inspiration back. Until then, I will stick with this story.**

**R&amp;R**


	6. Chapter 6

**Attention everyone, I've graduated and now I have no more school to worry about. Now I have to worry about getting a job and that's a whole other school of neurosis. But I digress, this chapter is short and I half planned to combine it with the next one but apparently I decided against that at some point. But I digress, to the reviews!  
Steel Razer: Don't worry, I will.**

**H. Mae: Glad you like it.**

**Rainbowlaserparty: It always makes me happy to see my readers happy.**

**Guest: Thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I will.**

**Horseylover99: I have thought about it from time to time but in the end I turned it into a D&amp;D campaign for my friends.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

(Marco's POV)

(The next morning)

I was at the strip mall dojo with Stella and we were getting ready to practice. I wanted to invite Star so that I could spend more time with her, but she was gone before I woke up. "I can't believe it." I said as I finished getting on my gi. I mean Marcus said that he hated Oscar's music, still says that, and Star becomes friends with him. That's not even possible."

"You don't like Oscar's music either." Stella added. "And with good reason."

I rolled my eyes. "Well yeah, but I would never say it. He makes Star happy. Saying that I don't like his music would just make Star angry with me."

"Or maybe you're still too scared." Stella added. "You were always the safe kid, never taking chances. That's why you lost Jackie."

"Please don't bring that up." I requested.

"You're still taking this too seriously, I mean sure, his fireworks might be impressive; but that doesn't mean that you need to have some special gift to make her not hate you for not liking Oscar's music."

I put on my headband and sighed. "That's not the point, I feel as if she's replacing me with this Marcus fellow."

Stella stood up and stretched out her arm. "Well she'll need a new best friend when you become her boyfriend."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "I'm not … we're not … I don't …" I shook my head. "We're not in love."

"Then shut up." She said as she started stretching out her legs. "All you've been doing is complaining about how Star is spending more time with Marcus, and it's starting to get annoying."

I looked away. "Yeah, you're probably right; it's probably nothing to worry about."

Both of us got on our sparring equipment, bowed to each other, and took a fighting position. "Ready?" She asked.

"Ready." I answered.

"You take the first move then." She responded.

I took a deep breath and took in her stance. She usually took a front facing stance, as opposed to having her front facing the side; which is good in most situations, but better when your opponent isn't fast or strong enough to exploit the openings it creates. I took a deep breath and went in for the attack, I tried to land a few quick blows, but after I threw my first punch, she blocked it and hit my underarm causing me to lose my balance. "Too slow Marco." She noted. "You also left yourself open when you attacked."

"I realized that." I said as I took up guard again. I took another shot, this time being careful not to leave myself open. She managed to block all of my punches, before going on the offensive. She threw three punches, all of which I blocked, before moving in and landing a punch on my chest.

"Still leaving your guard open." She noted.

"I know." I got my balance back and tried attacking again.

"You're distracted." She said as she blocked my punch. "I'll admit you're better than you used to be; but you need to stay focused." I tried to punch again, only for her to dodge it and move in to nail me in the chest again. "I told you to stop worrying about Star."

"For the last time, I'm not worried about Star." I said as I attacked again; only for her to completely dodge out of my way and hit my side, causing me to drop to my knees. "Ack! I think you broke something."

"I didn't hit you that hard Marco." She said as she helped me up. "Maybe we should take a short break."

"What?" I asked. "No, I'm fine, we don't have to take a break."

"You're too distracted, Marco." She said as she took a seat at the empty stand.

I sighed and walked over to her. "I told you, I don't love Star."

"But you're thinking about her." She responded. "And it's distracting you. so (So) tell me why she's so important, if you don't love her?"

I sighed as I took a seat. "All right fine." I said in defeat. "Yes, I have been worried about her spending more time with Marcus ... but not because I love her."

"Then what is it?" She asked.

I let my head drop. "I lived a bland and boring life before I met Star. Everyone called me 'The Safe Kid' and …" I paused. "That's really the only noteworthy thing about my life before Star. But from the moment she came into my life everything changed, there was magic, monsters, trouble, danger, adventure, and so much more." I placed my hands on my knees. "She made my life interesting. Now it looks like she's got a new sidekick and doesn't need me any more." I let out a sigh. "Imagine if someone took away all the excitement of fighting for you, that's how I feel."

"I don't have to imagine it Marco." She responded. "Sparing and karate lost its spark some time ago."

"Say what?" I asked.

"I said I no longer get the thrill out of training that I used to." She repeated. "I don't know how it happened, but slowly things just … got dull." She hugged her knees. "I still train and practice as much as possible but … it's like something is missing from inside me."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I responded. "I had no idea."

"Don't be worried Marco." She said as she patted me on the back. "I still like completely destroying you so you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh, lucky me." I said as I rolled my eyes.

**Yeah, short chapter, I know. Now to write some more.**

**R&amp;R**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, so I'm back and I have another chapter. I intend to write another sometime soon but until then, let me get to the reviews.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**H. Mae: I always like hearing peoples predictions, they tell me how much they know (or don't know) about my story.**

**Phinbella-cute1: Well I'm glad that I inspired you but you don't have to start a new account. As for the review, I don't know if Star and Marco are actually going to get together in the show, I know that if they are then it's not going to be until at least the third or fourth season, kinda like Kim and Ron.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Norsk Unicorn: Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

Star, Stella and I were on our way to our first class; the only one we all shared together. "So what were you up to yesterday Star?" Stella asked. "Did you get a second show from this Marcus character or something?"

"No no, not at all." Star responded. "I was just hanging out in the Bounce Lounge." She smiled. "It's my favorite place to chill and you two seemed like you needed private time."

"We were just sparring." I responded. "And we even wanted you to come."

Star looked away slightly. "Well … I felt it would be strange for me to just sit there not doing anything."

"Nonsense." I responded. "You would have been-"

Stella interrupted me with a blow to the head. "She didn't want to watch us spar, Marco."

I looked at her for a moment before it finally sunk in. "Oh, … sorry." I quickly though about how to change the subject. "So when do we get to meet Marcus?" I asked.

Just then, a boy in a blue hoodie rounded a corner, causing him to almost crash into me. "Sorry." I said as I narrowly avoided him,

"MARCUS!" Star exclaimed as she threw her arms into the air. "Hugs." She wrapped her arms around him as he looked back, slightly surprised.

"Wait." I said as I looked at the boy. "So you're Marcus?"

"That's what it says on my birth certificate." He responded as he remained in Star's embrace. "Star is a lot huggier than I thought." He said as he looked at Star who was still hugging him.

"Well this is starting to get awkward." Stella said as she clasped her hands together. "Lucky for me, I have to use the bathroom; so I will see you three later." Stella walked off leaving Star, Marcus, and myself.

"So …" Marcus began as he looked at Star, who was still hugging him.

"Oh right." Star said as she let him go. "Marco, this is Marcus, Marcus, this is Marco."

"Nice to meet you Marco." Marcus said as he reached out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Marcus." I said as I shook his hand. "So I heard that you and Star fought Ludo on Friday."

"You mean the kappa thing?" He asked. "Yeah, we fought him." He looked over at Star. "Speaking of which, is he going to be showing up any time soon? I'm out of fireworks."

"Don't worry." Star responded. "Ludo attacked us two days in a row, so his minions are probably too tired to try again so soon."

"That's good." Marcus responded. Just then, the bell rang signaling the beginning of the first class. "Well, I have to go so I'll talk to you two later."

"See ya Marcus." Star said as she waved after him.

"See ya Star." He responded.

As we quickly made our way to class, I felt a sense of unease come over me. When we reached class and saw that Miss Skullnick hadn't arrived yet, I decided to talk to Star about it. "Hey Star, may I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"Well … how exactly do you feel about this Marcus guy?"

She looked at me, confused. "How do you mean?" She asked.

I sighed and played with my fingers. "I mean are the two of you dating or something?"

Her confused look turned to one of shock. "Dating?" She asked. "Not in the slightest, you know I like someone else."

"You sure?" I asked. "He gave you your own private fireworks show, and you seem to like him more than any other individual."

"So you think I like him?" She asked.

"You didn't blast him to kingdom come when he openly insulted Oscar's music." I stated.

"Uhhhh." She said as she looked away. "Well … I was about to ... before I saw his fireworks."

I shook my head. "If I ever said anything negative about Oscar's music you would never talk to me again."

"Well that's different." She said as she began drawing on her desk. "You like Oscar's music, so saying that would be a lie."

I looked at her for a moment before looking back to the front, shaking my head. "Yeah, whatever."

Star looked up from what she was doing with a surprised look. "Marco … do you not … like Oscar's music?"

Before I could answer Miss Skullnick walked into the room with papers. "Well class, I hope you've all been studying for today's test; it's going to be a doozy."

"Of course." Star said as she hit her head on the desk.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

I was walking to lunch with Alfonzo and Ferguson. We had just gotten out of class and I, for one, was ready for a nice lunch break. "You know he's going to cause trouble for you, right?" Ferguson asked.

"Who?" I asked.

"Marcus!" Ferguson answered. "You can't see that he's trying to make a move on Star?"

I turned to face him. "Okay, first off, I'm not dating Star. Can't a guy have a girl who is just a friend?"

Ferguson shrugged. "Well yeah, but that's what Marcus is trying to take from you."

"He's trying to take away my friendship with Star?" I asked.

"If she ends up dating him ... you probably won't be as close friends with her as you used to." Alfonzo noted.

"She may even switch host families." Ferguson added.

"Okay, stop, just … stop. Star doesn't even like Marcus like that, she told me herself; she wouldn't lie to me about something like that."

"Uh, newsflash Marco, he said that he hates Oscar's music and she didn't kill him." Ferguson said plainly. "What does that tell you?"

"That I hate Oscar's music so much that I don't think my life is worth saying it's good?" Marcus said as he poked his head between Ferguson and myself.

"Marcus!" Ferguson said as he took a few steps back. "How much have you heard?"

"Uh, I'm not dating Star and she is in love with Oscar, for reasons that elude me." He answered.

"Yeah why is that?" Ferguson asked.

"I just said that it eludes me." Marcus repeated.

"Wait a minute." Alfonzo began. "Wasn't Stella with you when you went to lunch last Friday?"

"I was showing her around, so I had permission to leave class early." I answered. "And if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't like Oscar."

"You mean you don't like his music, or you don't like how he acts?" Ferguson asked.

"I don't like him in general. I don't know why Star likes him, he's just some punk who plays really bad music. He has obviously fake fangs, he rarely speaks to Star when she's around, and when he does it's only one or two words. If you ask me then I think he's just stringing her along because he thinks it's fun."

"Sounds like someone is jealous." Alfonzo stated with a laugh.

"I have to agree with Marco." Marcus stated. "If Oscar isn't going to acknowledge Star's feelings, then it's time she get over him."

I looked at Marcus, surprised. "So … we're agreeing on this then?" I asked.

Marcus looked surprised as well. "Yeah … I guess for the first time we are … then again, we only met this morning."

I laughed. "Good point." We made it into the lunch room, and to our surprise, Oscar was in the corner playing something calm on his keytar while Star was sitting close, listening. "And there she is." I pointed out.

"Just be glad he's just playing 'twinkle twinkle, little star' and not something that would disrupt our lunch." Ferguson noted as we got in line.

Marcus looked at her for a few moments before speaking. "We should do something."

"You do that." I replied.

"Something the matter?" Marcus asked.

I sighed. "If Star wants to hang with someone who can't play for their life, and refuses to accept that he doesn't care about her, then let her."

"Whoa, hold on a moment Marco." Ferguson began. "I feel like even I've missed something here."

I sighed. "Actually … never mind."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

Our final class for the day had just ended. I was packing up my stuff and I felt that the second test I took today had ended poorly. I was going to ask Marco if he was willing to help me study again, but he vanished from class the second the bell rang.

I walked out of class hoping to find Marco but as I walked towards the exit, I found that Marco was nowhere to be found. "Where did he run off to?" I asked myself.

"You talking about me?" I heard someone ask from behind me. I turned around to see Marcus standing there, with his hands in his pockets.

"Marcus!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you, have you seen Marco?"

"Not since lunch." He answered. "We actually got along quite well, all things considering."

"Considering what?" I asked.

Marcus scratched the back of his head. "Well, people are starting to look at me as … some sort of rival to Marco or something."

"Well that's strange." I noted. We continued walking until the front exit was in site.

"Um, Star?" Marcus said as we approached. "Do you think we could … not go this way?"

"But Oscar usually plays in front of the school, after school."

"Hence why I don't want to go this way." Marcus added.

"If you don't want to listen to Oscar then I will see you later." I replied.

Marcus looked around. "Um … I actually … wanted to talk to you about something."

I looked at the exit then back at Marcus. "Well … I guess I can wait, what did you want to talk about?"

He looked at the exit, then back at me. "Well … it's actually about Oscar …"

"Oscar?" I asked.

"Yeah, Oscar." Marcus responded. "You see Star … I won't say that no one likes his music, but it takes a specific taste to like music like his; and I … don't actually believe you have that taste."

"What taste?" I asked. "I like his music because it's good, everyone does."

Marcus sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry about this, but name one person."

I opened my mouth to give him a list that I was sure was going to include everyone else in school but as I thought about it, I realized that I wasn't one hundred percent sure about who really liked his music. "Um … Marco likes it." I answered finally.

"Really?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "He even said it was classic."

"He did?" Marcus asked.

"Yes." I replied. "He did."

He looked at me surprised. "You asked him?"

I thought about what I asked Marco earlier today and remembered that he never gave me an answer. "Well … maybe not in those words exactly …"

"What did he say?" Marcus asked.

I thought to myself for a moment. "Well … he never really answered me."

He sighed. "Look Star, I'm not saying that there's no one on earth that likes Oscar's music, I'm just saying that …" He froze. "No."

"No?" I asked.

"Marco said it better than I could." He replied. "And it's actually not my place to steal words."

"What did Marco say?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not my place."

He started to walk away and after looking at the front exit for a moment, I followed him. "Why don't you like Oscar's music?" I asked.

He looked at me a little concerned. "Well … maybe it's because music isn't really my thing to begin with."

"So you don't like any music?" I asked.

"Not like that." He replied. "Well … kinda. I do have music on my phone and all, but I could care less about artist or genre, all I care about is if it's catchy; and even then I don't listen to it half the time."

"So then you're simply not a music person." I questioned.

"You don't have to be any degree of interested to tell that Oscar sucks." He added.

I griped my wand tight as I leered at him. "You simply don't like a lot of music, how can you judge Oscar?"

He laughed as we walked out the back. "You know … you're probably right." He said as he pulled out what looked like the sparkler he had during the fight against Ludo's minions a few days ago. "My passion is … fire." He lit the sparkler causing it to sparkle. "I like watching things … glow, for lack of a better term."

"Is that why you started fireworks?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I started before that. My parents dabbled with it back when they were my age, but it was little more than a past time." He waited for the sparkler to go out before continuing. " From what I was told it's how they met, but I intend to go through with it full time."

"So you like fireworks then?" I asked.

He looked at the burnt out sparkler. "It started simple … but it grew on me … and now," He pulled out another sparkler and lit it. "It's like it's become a part of me." He watched the sparkler burn. "I feel incomplete without it … like there's something missing from me when I don't have one on me."

"I know how that feels." I said as I looked at my wand. "I can't imagine what it would be like without my wand, now that I finally have it."

He stared at me a little concerned. "Um … correct me if I'm wrong but … don't you have to give that to your first born child when they come of age?"

I laughed. "That's not for many, many, many, manymanymnaymany years; so I don't have to worry about that."

"I suppose so." Marcus said as he turned away.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter, now to go and work on something else … or write another chapter … I haven't decided yet.**

**R&amp;R**


	8. Chapter 8

**Either I'm getting better at writing or I'm just lucky this chapter, there were minimal mistakes but that could also be because this was an unbelievably short chapter … well … it has an okay length but had I known this was the next chapter I would have posted it yesterday and posted another one today. In other news I'm going to get to the reviews.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**H. Mae: Right about what? Your previous prediction? I', not going to tell you that you were wrong … or right. Yes I do take inspiration from people I know for my OC's and Erick and Marcus were … slightly taken from myself but there might be a reason that they are so alike … I haven't decided yet. And a scene with Star and Marco? … um … next chapter?**

**Apple: I like your prediction, are you right? I won't tell you, but I will tell you that I like your prediction.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Well I have already written the chapter where Marco confronts Star about that and let me tell you … it ends with a blast.**

**Guest: Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

I had met up with Stella and vacated the school ground as quickly as we could. "Looks like we made it before Oscar started playing." I said as we left the school grounds.

"You know we could have waited for Star." Stella pointed out.

"No, she likes his music so she would just have stayed." I said as I continued walking. "Not to mention that she probably has plans with Marcus."

"Marco!" Stella said as she walked in front of me. "Star is only friends with him, and he doesn't live in the same house as you." She placed her hands on her hips. "Now tell me, what's wrong?"

I looked away. "I … it's compli-"

"Don't you dare say complicated!" She interrupted.

I sighed and looked away. "Personal."

"Personal?" She asked. "Sounds more like your jealous of someone who has Star's attention."

I looked at her, then looked away. "I … don't want to talk about it right now."

Just then, a portal opened in front of us, causing both Stella and I to stare at it in shock. "Marco." Stella began. "What is that?"

I was about to answer but Ludo and his minions came through. "Ah, Star Butterfly." He said as he looked at Stella. "Wait a second." He walked up to us and took a closer look. "You're not Star." He turned to Buff Frog. "You said that this was Star Butterfly."

"I made a mistake?" Buff Frog responded.

"Star's not here." I interrupted. "So can you just leave us alone?"

Ludo turned back to us. "Oh no, getting rid of Star's ex body guard should still have an impact on her."

"Ex?" I asked.

"Yes, ex. Her new body guard is that guy with the crazy explosives."

I stood there in disbelief. "Star … said she replaced me?"

"I'm sure that it was just a misunderstanding." Stella said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Looked like she replaced you, to me." Ludo said nonchalantly.

"Can we just get this over with!?" I shouted.

"Fine." Ludo said with a shrug. He turned to his minions. "You know the drill, destroy them."

His minions started charging and Stella and I took fighting stances.

I kicked Bearicorn, then punched him, causing him to fall over before roundhouse kicking Three-eyed-potato-baby. "Is that all you got?" I asked.

Just then, I saw Emmitt standing in front of me cracking his knuckles. "Oh, so you want a rematch?" I asked as I punched my fist. He replied with something incomprehensible. "Them's fighting words." I said as I pointed at him. "I … think."

Just then, Stella ran in duel wielding escrima sticks and striking his solar plexus; causing him to fall over. "Get in the game Marco." She said, a little annoyed.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Big Chicken. I avoided his beak and chopped him in the stomach. I was then tackled by Deer Beard who knocked me to the ground. "Get off!" I shouted as I struggled to get free. I managed to get an arm free, which allowed me to elbow him in the face, freeing myself.

When I got up I saw Stella standing around a bunch of defeated monsters. "Is that all of them?" She asked.

"I think so." I replied before a spike ball came between the two of us. "Except Spikeballs!" He swung his spike ball at me but he was slow enough that I managed to dodge out of the way in time. I quickly regrouped with Stella, and we stood side by side staring at Spikeballs.

"So how do you usually defeat this guy?" She asked.

"I don't" I responded as Spikeballs took a few steps closer. "Star's the one to beat him and Man Arm."

"Man Arm?" She asked.

I looked around. "Hey, where's Man Arm?"

Spikeballs stopped moving when he was almost on top of us and held out his hand spikes. "Well, Man Arm's mom's birthday is today so he took the day off; meaning it's just me for the large category today."

"What about that mushroom guy?" I asked as I pointed to the thing with mushrooms on its head.

"He's only a medium sized henchmen, Man Arm and I are the only large henchmen in Ludo's forces." Spikeballs explained. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to crush you now." He brought down one of his spike hands and Stella and I dodged out of the way.

"He's very polite." Stella said as she dodged another attack. "I actually feel a little bad about what I'm about to do to him." She rushed forward dodging his attacks and with both her escrima, nailed him right between the legs causing him to freeze before falling over. "Sorry." She said as she walked over to his head.

"It's okay." Spikeballs squeezed out. "Occupational hazard." His eyes shut tight as he bit his lower lip.

"Ugh, maybe I'm going about this all wrong." Ludo said as he pulled out his dimensional scissors. "Maybe I need to find more large henchmen." Ludo opened a portal with his dimensional scissors and stood to the side. "All right everyone, time to go."

All of Ludo's henchmen got up and made their way through the portal. "I'll get you next time ex minion." Ludo said before walking through the portal himself.

I stood there, staring at the portal as it closed, before shoving my hands into my pockets. I then felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see that it was Stella. "Don't let that 'ex' thing get to you, I'm sure Star still needs you to protect her."

"I'm not her body guard." I said as I started walking. "She can protect herself."

"Don't be like that." She said as she walked over me. "Is this because I arrived? Does she think that I'm replacing her?"

"What do you care?!" I asked as I turned around.

She looked at me surprised before placing her hands on her hips. "Oh, you want to talk about this now?"

I leered at her before shaking my head. "Yes, I want to talk about this now."

"Fine then." She replied. "What is the problem?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I replied. "Why did you pretend to have feelings for me?"

"Because I did." She replied. "And you seemed more than happy to see me when I first got here."

"I guess I was just too happy, that I forgot about what happened."

"And what is that?" She asked. "What did I do to make you think I don't like you?"

"You flirted with every other guy in the school!" I hissed. "I would think that would be obvious."

"I was nine!" She pointed out. "I had no idea what flirting was at the time."

"That's not the point!" I exclaimed. "I thought … you said that I was special to you."

"You were, you are!"

"Then why nothing?!" I demanded as I turned around. "Five years and you don't send a single thing, every other exchange student sends e-mails or writes but you … you, absolutely nothing for five whole years."

She looked away. "I was … scared." She replied. "You … you had feelings for Jackie … and I didn't think I would ever be back so …" She looked up at me. "Could we still be … something?"

I sighed. "Look … Jackie might be taken but … 'we' can't be a thing …" I looked away. "But … I am still willing to be friends, if you are."

She smiled. "Sure … I guess I should have at least written you." She walked up to me and we started walking home. "And how does a llama write? Not to mention be a foreign exchange student."

"It's not a llama." I exclaimed. "It's actually a kid with a rare hair disorder."

"And the robot?" She asked.

"An actor." I explained.

She laughed. "Man, you sure have some weird foreign exchange students."

"Yeah." I replied. "And they keep getting stranger."

* * *

**I'm not going to say what but of all the predictions ever made … there are a few (maybe one, maybe two, maybe all of them) that are correct, and I will love to see the looks on everyone's face when I reveal which one's are real. But until then, I've got to write chapter 15 … I should not have said that.**

**R&amp;R**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is the last chapter that I'm posting this week … and I'm probably going to make a lot of people unhappy about that. But anyway, I won't keep you waiting any longer, to the reviews!**

**H. Mae: I really enjoy your theories about my story, it lets me know that this is worth writing. But I'm not going to tell you if you're right or wrong.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yeah, those two have some history.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

Stella and I had made our way back to the house after fending off Ludo's latest monster attack. Normally a fight like that would be no problem, but for some reason, I was simply out of energy. "I hope that Star doesn't have any surprises for us." I said as I opened the door. As I opened the door, I relearned why I should never use a 'what could possibly go wrong' line; as I saw Marcus sitting with Star on the living room couch.

"Marco!" Star exclaimed as she saw me. "We've been waiting for you."

"And why is that?" I asked, suspecting it would be something I didn't want to do.

"We're going dimension hoping today!" Star exclaimed.

I sighed. "You know what Star … I think I'll pass."

"Awe." Star said, she was obviously sad. "Are you sure? We'll hit up the Amethyst Arcade again."

"I've had enough excitement for today, thank you very much."

She tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

I was about to tell Star I didn't want to talk about it when Stella answered for me. "We fought Ludo and his minions."

"You WHAT!?" Star shrieked. "You fought Ludo without me?"

"He attacked us, what were we supposed to do?" I asked.

"You could have contacted me; I would have gone straight there." She replied.

"We had it under control." Stella replied.

"That's not the point!" Star snapped. "You fought Ludo without me Marco."

"So what?" I asked. "Are you telling me that I can't fight unless I invite you? Last I checked, you had no problem fighting with Marcus instead of me."

"Now hold on a second." Marcus said as he stood up. "I was forced to fight when Ludo attacked, I didn't have a choice."

"Marcus can handle himself just as well as you can, Marco." Star replied.

"So now you think I can't handle myself well enough to fight Ludo without you, is that it?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Stella asked. "We handled it and everything turned out all right."

"That's not what I'm saying." Star defended. "I'm saying that I should have been there."

"What's the reason behind this argument?" Marcus asked.

"So now you have to be in control of everything?" I asked.

"I don't think they're listening to us." Stella added.

"I don't need to be in control of anything." She retorted.

"Maybe we should leave them alone." Marcus said as he scratched the back of his head. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"Sure." Stella answered. Stella led Marcus out of the room leaving Star and I alone.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "So you don't need things the way you want them to be all the time?"

"You have something to say, Marco?" Star asked. "If you do then say it."

"Fine." I hissed. "I hate Oscar."

Star's eyes went wide as she took a few steps back. "You … don't like his music?"

"No." I answered. "I don't like anything about him." I crossed my arms. "He's nothing but a punk. He doesn't bother to really talk to you. His music sucks, if you can even call it music. I don't think he actually likes you, and he's an all-around bad person."

Her jaw dropped slightly. "Marco I … I …" She clenched her wand then pointed it at me. "RAINBOW BLAST!" A rainbow blasted from Star's wand and collided with me, sending me flying against the far wall. I then fell to my knees and caught myself before falling to the ground.

When I looked up I saw Star covering her mouth, with a look of shock on her face. "Marco I-"

"Don't." I interrupted as I stood up. "I knew that this was going to happen."

Star covered her mouth as I made my way to the stairs. I walked up the stairs and into my room where I lay down on the bed. "Ludo was right." I said as I looked at the celling. "Star has replaced me."

* * *

(Ludo's POV)

I was sitting on my throne; as all my minions had gone to their sleeping chambers to recover. "Stupid body guards." I said, as I looked at my empty throne room. "If only I had something to take care of them."

Just then, my mirror began ringing and the caller ID showed a private number. I rolled my eyes thinking that it was another campaign, or something, but decided that I needed a little distraction, so I answered it. "I'm not looking to buy anything." I answered immediately.

"Oh really?" A silhouette responded. "I can get you better monsters."

My eyes went wide. "You can what?" I paused. "Oh, hold on a second … I bet your lying."

"I'm not lying, Ludo." The silhouette responded. "We can both benefit from this arrangement … which is why I will tell you the best place to get henchmen, who will really help you."

"Sadly, I'm short on funds... at the moment." I responded. "And what could you possible get out of such an arrangement? I want the Royal Wand; and there's nothing else that Star has that can't be easily acquired from Quest Buy."

"I will pay for you to get four henchmen, one for Star and one for each of her guardians. As for the why … let's just say that I'm not after an object in Star's possession; but I need her, and her guards alive."

I looked away and thought to myself. "I will get Star's wand, no matter what?"

"Possibly." The figure responded. "If you can take it, then it's all yours … my plan doesn't require you taking it, or her not having it, so I'm indifferent to whether you fail or not."

"And I can pick these minions?" I asked.

"I will give you the place, and the money, for four of them; so long as you don't tell anyone where you got the funds."

I thought to myself some more. "All right then, you have yourself a deal … I will get these henchmen and fight Star and her bodyguards, then I will take her wand for myself." I looked at the silhouette. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

The silhouette shook its head. "No … no it's not."

"Excellent." I said as I folded my fingers.

* * *

**Well, I've heard a lot of theories as to who the hooded figure is and who the ****silhouette** **is … but no theories as to what there are after and I find that interesting. But for now, I need to get back to chapter 15.**

**R&amp;R**


	10. Chapter 10

**So, who's ready for the next chapter of this story that a lot of people seem to like? Well I know I am because something big is about to happen and you will all know at some point maybe towards the middle of this chapter … maybe the beginning … maybe the end … I forget. Anyway, I'm really far ahead in this story but I do have some important things to fix before posting the next … two or three chapters. But for now I'm going to the reviews.**

**Sabrina06: I do owe you the credit for all those suggestions so thank you.**

**H. Mae: Your predictions are … interesting.**

**Steel Razer: I felt it was necessary.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yeah, Marco did know it was coming though so it is partly his fault.**

**Laura o mine: That's a great idea but I've already made them and finished the part where they appear so … I can't really incorporate it.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I think you're the first person to ship those two.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A few days later)

It was Friday and I was sitting in my final class of the day. Marco was still angry at me, so he was sitting far away and I wasn't able to talk to him during class. I was feeling really bad about what I did and I wanted to apologize, but I had no idea what to say. Thankfully though, my attack didn't leave an indent in the wall and Marco had decided against telling his parents what happened. "Why did I attack him?" I asked myself as I scratched my desk.

Just then, Miss Skullnick slammed a paper on my desk. "Once again class, most of you did horrible; and you will most likely be seeing me during summer school if this keeps up."

I looked at my paper and saw a C- in the upper right corner. "A C? What does that stand for?" I thought back to my last grade which was an F which Marco said was the worst grade I could get. "So if an A is the best and an F is the worst … then that means I got a good grade!" I was about to turn to Marco and tell him the good news, until I remembered that he wasn't sitting near me. "Oh … that's right." I turned back to the front and sighed.

I continued to look down, until the bell rang, signaling the end of the class and the end of the school day. As I got up I noticed that Marco had already left; leaving me to either find Marcus and walk out the back, or walk out the front, listen to Oscar's music, then walk home alone. "It has been a while since I stayed for Oscar's latest concert." I said as I walked towards the front of the school.

As I walked out I saw the usual people doing their strange crawling dance with their ears covered. "Ah, he sounds amazing today." I said as I walked up to him.

He looked at me while playing and smiles. "Sup." He says without stopping.

"Hi." I say as I fall into a trance.

As the concert eventually comes to an end, Oscar packs up his gear and gets into his car. "Wait a minute." I pleaded. He stopped and looked at me. "Um … do you think … we could catch a movie or something?" I asked.

He smiled. "I'll think about it." He replied.

"Yeah!" I shouted as I threw my hands in the air. I instantly pulled them down and regained my composure. "I mean … cool." He drove off and I almost levitated off the ground. "I might get a date with Oscar."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

I walked back to the house as cheerful as can be. When I walked inside I was greeted by the happy expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. "Hello Star." Mr. Diaz greeted. "Your home later than usual."

"I was listening to Oscar play … and he said that he might go out with me."

"Um … you said might?" Mrs. Diaz asked.

"Yeah." I replied dreamily. "He needs to think about it."

I rushed up the stairs and over to Marco's room, to tell him the good news. "Marco!" I exclaimed as I threw open the door to see him lying down on his bed. He looked up at me, surprised. "I've maybe got a date with Oscar."

"What?" He said as he looked at me with a look that I couldn't quite pin down.

"Well he said that he will think about it, but I have a good feeling about it." I said cheerfully.

He looked at me, obviously at a loss for words, for what felt like ten minutes. "Star." He finally got out. "You … blasted me earlier this week because I said I didn't like Oscar."

I froze as the gravity of what I had just done hit me. "Oh."

"Are you … are you trying to rub it in my face or something?" He asked.

"No no no." I pleaded. "I simply forgot about what happened." I instantly realized what I had said, and my vocal cords froze.

"You forgot?" Marco asked. "I'm still sore from when you hit me ... and you forgot?"

"NO!" I pleaded. "Well … I did but I only forgot for an instant and I didn't mean to-"

"Star." He interrupted as he got up and walked over to me.

"Yes Marco?" I asked hopefully.

He looked me in the eye. "Shut up." He said as he slammed the door on me.

I slowly turned around and walked to my room. Once there I sat on my bed. "What on earth was I thinking?" I asked myself. "How could I forget … that I straight up attacked Marco?" I sighed. "Maybe it was wrong of me to assume that Marco liked Oscar's music …" I froze as something hit me. "But he was still trying to cheer me up after Oscar didn't call, even though he probably didn't like him … and I straight up attacked him when he said that he hated Oscar."

I lay back down and looked at the ceiling. "What am I supposed to do now?"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The following day)

I left the house early, as to avoid any unnecessary confrontations;. I needed some time to think and what better place to think then down by the docks. "What exactly did I expect?" I asked myself. "I mean, I said myself that Star would attack me if I ever insulted Oscar, and she so much as confirmed it." I continued walking as I listened to the waves crash against the dock. "Even if I don't like Oscar, Star does; and whether she hangs out with me or not, I'm her friend and I should be happy for her." As I walked I noticed that Jackie was leaning up against the guard rails that kept people from falling into the water. I don't know if it was the fact that I knew she was already in a relationship, that I was simply not in in the mood, or if I had gotten over my nervousness but I walked up to her and tried talking to her. "Jackie?" I asked as I walked over.

She looked over at me, surprised. "Marco?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Came here to think." I responded as I walked over. "I didn't expect to find you here though."

"I come here a lot to look at the waves." She responded. "It makes me feel … whole."

"Wow … that's … interesting." I said as I stood next to her and looked at the waves.

She laughed slightly. "You would know that if you actually stopped to talk to me once in a while."

I felt a little embarrassed at her comment. "Yeah … sorry about that."

"No worries." She said as she looked out at the waves. "What did you come to think about?"

"Well, thing is, Star-" I froze as I remembered that I didn't want to mention that Star attacked me. "...and I had an argument when I said that I hated Oscar."

"You only had an argument?" She asked. "Well that's rather tame for Star Butterfly."

"Okay, it was more than an argument." I admitted. "Point is, I just … don't know what to do now."

"Did you try talking to her?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet, no idea what to say."

She looked back at the water for a moment before speaking again. "Mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Go ahead."

"How exactly … do you feel about Star?"

I looked at her, confused. "How do you mean?"

"I mean how do you feel about her? Do you like her? Do you love her? What are your feelings for her?"

"Seriously?" I asked. "Well I obviously …" I froze. "Don't … really … know."

"Seriously?" Jackie asked. "You don't know?"

"I mean I like her as a friend, yeah but … I really want her … to be happy and everything." I rubbed my arm. "Maybe I … I don't know."

Just then, the sound of pain and chaos filled the air causing great discomfort. "What is that?" Jackie asked as she looked around.

I looked around to see Oscar leaning against a nearby wall, playing his keytar. "Well look who it is." I walked over to him and Jackie followed covering her ears. "Yo, Oscar!" I exclaimed as we approached. He stopped playing and looked up at us. "Would you mind playing somewhere else?"

"Why must you be hating?" He asked.

"Because your music is painful to listen to." I responded.

"Well, that's your opinion." He said as he stroked his keytar. "I happen to know that there are a few that happen to like my music."

"That doesn't mean that everyone likes your music Oscar." Jackie stated.

"Star Butterfly does." He said smugly. "And all I need is her to like it, then everyone will."

"Say what?" I asked.

"I said so long as Star likes my music I'll be famous."

"Really?" Jackie asked. "Don't you know that she likes you?"

I looked at Jackie, a little surprised. "So what?" He answered. "I don't care if she likes me or not, only that she will bring in a crowd."

"Is that all you care about?" I asked as I walked closer. "She's a great person, and all you want is for her to be around so people will listen to your awful music?"

"Is that really so wrong?" He asked.

I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall; causing him to drop his keytar. "You dense piece of crap." I hissed. "You don't even understand how special she is, or how she feels about you; and all you want is to use her for your own selfish purposes?"

"Let go of me." He demanded.

"Don't you even care about her in the slightest?" I asked.

"Yeah, she asked me out and I told her I'd think about it, because I figured that dating her would be good for my rep."

I pulled one hand back and made a fist. I was about to punch him but I felt someone grab my arm. I looked over to see Jackie, with a concerned look on her face. "You're right." I said as I let him go. "He's not worth it."

I turned around and began walking away when I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks. "Well hello Marco." Ludo said, all his minions, plus four new ones standing behind him. "I've come to eliminate you."

* * *

**And I will leave you with that cliffhanger for now and I will be on my way before people start raging and demanding the next chapter.**

**R&amp;R**


	11. Chapter 11

**Man I have3 a serious case of writers block right now. I'm hoping that it will clear up soon but until then, I'm left with what I've already typed. Anyway, I should probably get to the reviews.**

**Bigmike3332: There's going to be a lot of that coming shortly … or not to shortly … but there will be things hitting the fan.**

**Steel Razer: I don't like Oscar either, too much punk.**

**H. Mae: A lot of things are about to go wrong and if you may get a small hint at who is really under that hood in this chapter or the one after it … or the one after that … I honestly don't remember.**

**Guest: I will, don't worry.**

**Guest: Glad you like it.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Well I can try as hard as I can but I can't guarantee that the writing will be good.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: He might, he might not, he hasn't admitted anything yet.**

**Laura o mine: Yeah, let's hope … wait … chapter twelve? … but … I've only posted eleven, how could you possible know … that I said two chapters ago that I was working on chapter fifteen … never mind.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: I'm not going to reply to your comment publicly.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"Looks like I couldn't have come at a better time." Ludo said with s smug smile. "You're all alone with no one to help you."

"Hey, what about me?" Jackie asked. "Don't I count for anything? And what about this guy?" She asked as she motioned to where Oscar was. "I'm sure that he-" She stopped to look back and saw that Oscar wasn't there anymore. "What happened to Oscar?"

"He ran." I said as I took a guard stance. "And I don't think you are capable of fighting these guys."

She looked at Ludo's henchmen then took a step back.

"So is the fish lady going to fight as well?" Ludo asked.

"Fish lady?" I asked confused.

"Oh please, I'd recognize a marooned mermaid anywhere." Ludo added.

I looked back at Jackie who was backing away slowly. "Marco … I … I have no idea what he's talking about."

"Enough talk!" Ludo shouted. "Fungus Armungious! Step forward!" A large turtle like creature with about five mushrooms on its back stepped forward. "I got this little guy especially to destroy you Marco, it's a great honor to be such a pest to someone like me!"

"Then a lot of people must be honored." I replied, I mean you are so bad at this, Star and I beat you every week."

"But Star's not here, now is she?" Ludo asked. "And even if she were, I have a minion for her as well."

I looked behind Ludo to see, amongst his other minions, a Treant like creature, a strange man, with what looked like a red cloak covering his entire body up to his eyes, and a really large rock with arms and legs that was about the size of Man Arm and Spikeballs.

"So … I have to fight this mushroom turtle?" I asked as I pointed to the minion on front of me.

"Not so much." Fungus Armungious replied. He clenched for a moment which caused all his mushrooms to fly off and land around me.

I looked at them confused until they started looking at me. "Oh, this can't be good." I said as they grew arms and legs.

"I can spawn a number of minions that will follow my every command." Fungus Armungious said as more mushrooms grew on his back. "The only drawback is that they only live for about an hour, and it takes food and energy to grow more but thanks to Ludo, I was able to fuel up before coming here."

"So all you have to do is eat and you can keep spawning more of these things?" I asked as I stepped back.

"I have a specialized diet." He said as five more mushroom men came flying off his back. "Now Mushren, ATTACK!"

The mushroom men charged and I quickly got back into my fighting position. I chopped one, kicked another, and punched two more causing them to break and fall over. "These guys are easy." I said as I roundhouse kicked another.

"Like I said, I'm well fed!" He declared as he launched more mushren at me. When he was done, there were about forty more mushren; all of them looking for a fight.

"This can't end well." I said, as I tried to back up, only to find that I was surrounded.

"Emmitt, Deer Beard, why don't you give Fungus Armungious a hand." Ludo commanded.

Both Emmitt and Deer Beard walked over to the fight, cracking their knuckles. "Oh, this can't end well." I said as I got ready for round two.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Earlier)

I had gotten up later than expected, probably because I wasn't able to sleep the previous night. When I finally got up, I got dressed,and I made my way downstairs,; Stella's party had already started and the cake was nearly finished. "Oh, good morning Star." Mrs. Diaz greeted. "Sorry, we didn't want to wake you."

"It's no problem." I said as I took the last slice of cake. "I couldn't sleep …" I looked around and noticed something was still missing. "Hey, has anyone seen Marco?"

"He left before we could start." Mr. Diaz mentioned.

I let out a sigh. "Yeah … he's probably still upset."

"Upset?" Mrs. Diaz asked.

"We had an argument earlier this week … it was kinda my fault."

"Kinda?" Stella asked quietly.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, mostly my fault." I looked at the door then back at the Diaz's who looked worried. "I should probably go look for him and apologize."

"You don't have to look for him." Mr. Diaz stated. "I'm sure he'll be home later today, you can talk to him then."

"Well I would like to get this off my chest now." I replied before I walked towards the door. "I'll see you all later." I opened the door and Stella walked over to me.

"I'm going to come with you." She replied.

"There's no need for that." I reassured.

"Well, I'm coming anyway." She insisted.

I rolled my eyes and began walking. When we were outside, Stella closed the door behind us. "So any idea where to find Marco?" I asked.

"No idea." Stella responded. "I just came along to make sure you don't kill him when you find him."

"I'm not going to-" I shook my head and walked away, with Stella following.

After aimlessly wandering around town, for a while, I began to get frustrated. "Ugh, where is he?" I shouted.

"Well usually Marco goes to the docks when he wants to be alone." Stella answered.

I turned to her, surprised. "You knew this all along?" I asked as I threw my hands into the air. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask. Besides, if Marco wanted to be alone then why should I tell you?" She stated bluntly.

I leered at her then started walking. "Well Marco's not getting his alone time; because I need to apologize."

"You seem a little obsessed with this." Stella said as she followed. " Why can't you just wait for him to get home?"

"Because he's my best friend!" I exclaimed. "And I'm not going to just forget about him until he gets home."

"Who are we talking about?" Marcus asked, as he appeared from behind us, causing Stella and I to jump in surprise.

"Marcus!" I exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"My parents …" He turned to the side, slightly. "This just got a little sad … but aside from that, who are we talking about?"

"Star's trying to find Marco." Stella answered.

"Interesting." Marcus replied. "So … where is he?"

"Hopefully down by the docks." I answered.

Marcus' look turned to one of worry. "Actually … hopefully he's not down by the docks."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because I saw Ludo and a number of his henchmen headed that way!" He exclaimed. "Actually … all things considered, that actually might mean that Marco is down-"

I didn't wait for Marcus to finish; I ran as fast as I could, with no clear idea where I was going.

"STAR!" Marcus shouted, as he ran after me. "Ludo had a few new big minions with him; you can't just rush in there!"

"Just watch me!" I responded.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I had just managed to beat down half of Fungus Armungious's second wave of shrooms, minus Emmitt and Deer Beard, and I was getting rather exhausted. "You know, I've almost wondered how long you would be able to last Marco." Ludo said with a smile. "But now I don't have to ask because it will be answered for me."

"Can you shut up?" I asked as I took a few breaths. "I'm not done yet." I looked back to see Jackie was being held captive by a few mushren. "Damn it let her go!" I shouted at Fungus Armungious. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Possibly." Fungus Armungious said as he moved towards me. "But I like to have an audience as I take down my opponent. Plus, it keeps you from running away."

"Run Marco!" Jackie shouted. "Don't worry about me."

"Awe, the little fish woman wants to be heroic." Ludo said with a laugh. "Tell you what Marco, give up now and I'll let the mermaid girl go."

"I still don't know what you're talking about." Jackie said as she looked away.

"I'm an aquatic based creature as well, you know." Ludo began. "I can recognize another from a mile away, and you're not even trying to hide it!"

I looked at Jackie then back at Ludo. I had no idea if Ludo was right or lying, but one way or another, I couldn't just let Jackie die when I had no hope of winning. "So let me get this straight." I began. "If I give up, then you'll let Jackie go and not harm her?"

"Sure." Ludo replied. "She's no threat to me, so I don't have to worry about her if you simply give up."

I looked back at Jackie, who looked worried, and obviously didn't want me to sacrifice myself. I took a deep breath and looked back at Ludo. "All right Ludo … let Jackie go … I surrender."

"Excellent." Ludo said with a smile.

I raised my arms and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry Star." I said to myself as the mushren came closer. "I shouldn't have been jealous … I wish I could just … say that I'm sorry."

Just then, I heard a loud bang and when I opened my eyes, I saw that Dear Beard and half the mushren had been taken down. As I looked around to try and see what had happened, I noticed a large, red ball of fire collide with Emmitt followed by a blue ball, and then a green one; which caused him to fall over.

I continued to look around, until I noticed Star and Marcus rushing to my side. "Glad I packed my fireworks today." Marcus said with relief.

"Star!" I shouted with delight.

"After this is done I need to talk to you about something, Marco." Star said as we stood back to back.

I felt relief, until I remembered Jackie was still in trouble. "Wait a minute, Jackie!" I looked over to her to see that Stella had taken care of the mushren that had her restrained.

"These guys are too easy." Stella said, disappointed.

I finally felt fully relieved. "Well at least you guys are here now."

Just then, roots came out of the ground and wrapped around Star, then lifted her up into the air. "What is this?" Star shrieked as she struggled to get free. She was then thrown over to the Treant.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Marcus asked. Just then, the guy in the red cloak fell from out of nowhere, and kicked Marcus away before jumping after him.

"Looks like we're fighting this guy together." Stella said as she took my back.

"Ludo said he has a new monster for each of us." I said as the giant boulder monster approached. "Looks like we're in for a fight."

* * *

**Now that's what I call a chapter, now for some other thing I want to talk about. I want to finish this story before SVTFOE comes off hiatus, mostly because I don't want to be forced to contradict the cannon … it hurts me writing when I have to do something like that.**

**R&amp;R**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back, and I've overcome my writers block. Now before I get into the reviews let me tell you something, in this chapter, there is a character who speaks Latin and google translate seems to be as fickle as ever so if you try translating it you might end up with something far from what is intended. In all honesty, it's not important. *Turns away* alright, lie about the important of something said in a foreign language, check *turns back* now let me get to the reviews.**

**H. Mae: Believe it or not, I'm writing the chapter with Marcus's parents in it as you read this.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I am a refugee from the sinking Phinabella ship, of course it's going to look like they're in love.**

**Steel Razer: I hope you find the others just as interesting.**

**Guest: Wow … I had no idea I could hook people like that.**

**Laura o mine: Really? You like my story that much? … I … I don't know what to say … thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I always do my best.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was standing back-to-back with Stella, on one side was Fungus Armungious's army and on the other was the giant rock golem. "Want to trade, Marco?" Stella asked.

"How am I supposed to fight a golem with my fists?" I asked.

"Fair point." She said, as she reached for a weapon. "Wood isn't going to work and I only have one weapon made of metal." She pulled out her sai and held them with the blunt end forward. "Not like it's going to be of much use anyway though."

Both forces started charging and I took a guard. I immediately struck down five with ease, but I was extremely tired and felt like I was going to give out at any moment. Without Deer Beard or Emmitt they wouldn't be getting in any hits which were a plus for me but their sheer number was a problem in and of itself. As I continued to resist, I could only wonder how everyone else was doing.

* * *

(No one's POV)

Stella was rushing the golem, hoping to catch him off guard. When she reached him, she quickly struck the monster a few times, before dodging to the side. She then struck the monster a few more times, only to realize that the monster hadn't even flinched. She then noticed that her arms were sore from hitting solid rock with metal, and couldn't hold onto her sai anymore; forcing her to drop her weapons.

"You no rake me down!" The giant golem began. "Boulder Blast is impenitribible!"

"Ever try English?" Stella asked as she took a few steps back. "At least at his size, he won't be able to move fast."

"You think Boulder Blast slow?" Boulder Blast asked, before hitting Stella square in the chest, causing her to go flying. "Boulder Blast is made of rock yes, Boulder Blast is large yes, but Boulder Blast isn't slow."

Stella got to her feet and noticed that Boulder Blast was charging her. She looked behind her and spied a building made of concrete. "Perfect." She said to herself. She dodged out of the way at the last second hoping that Boulder Blast would collide with the building but he stopped right before colliding with it.

"And Boulder Blast not stupid." He said as he turned towards Stella.

Stella looked at him, shocked. "But … you … and-"

"Boulder Blast cursed to talk like dumb man, but Boulder Blast has I.Q. of one hundred fifteen."

"You have got to be joking." Stella said as she got to her feet. "Any other surprises you want to tell me about?"

"Yes." Boulder Blast said as his stomach started to shift. "Boulder Blast, not as fat as seems." As his supposed stomach shifted, it separated to reveal that he actually had two other arms which were covering his stomach. "Boulder Blast really have four arms instead of two."

"Perfect." Stella said sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Marcus was staring down his opponent, while getting his gloves on. "You know, you could have tried to attack me while I was getting my gloves on just now." Marco informed his opponent.

"It's unsporting to attack a man before he's ready." His opponent replied.

"Yet you drop kicked me not to long ago." Marcus reminded his opponent.

"In all fairness, you did attack my allies and I needed to get you away from the other; so we could have our battle. But if you would like, I could give you one free shot."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass." Marcus replied. "I have much more devastating attacks than you do, and it wouldn't be fair for me to beat you with my free attack."

"So we have a fair match then?"

"It appears we do." Marcus responded. "My names Marcus by the way."

"And you may call me Talon." The cloaked man responded.

"Nice name." Marcus said as he pulled out his lighter and lit it. "I almost wish I didn't have to do this."

"Do what?" Talon asked.

"This." Marcus said as he pulled out a rocket and tried to light it. The rocket didn't light and Marcus looked at it, confused. He saw that the flame, on his lighter, was out. "That's strange." He said as he lit his lighter again. The flame instantly went out; just as it was lit. "I can't be out of fluid, it's still lighting." He tried again, and once again, the flame instantly went out.

"Confused?" Talon asked. "Let me shed some light on the situation." Talon threw open his cloak to reveal that it was really two large wings that were wrapped around him. Beneath his wings, he looked like an anthropomorphic bird with a beak, feathers, and everything.

"Should have guessed from the name." Marcus said as he took a few steps back. Talon flapped his wings causing him to take to the air; Marcus took this opportunity to light his rocket. Marcus then fired his rocket at Talon, who flapped his wings, once, which caused the rocket to veer off course, and into the sky.

"You should consider yourself lucky." Talon stated. "I could have easily redirected that back at you."

"Well we'll just see about that." Marcus said as he pulled out two more rockets. He fired both of these, one after the other, and once again, Talon flapped his wings once, which caused the rockets to veer off course.

"My turn now." Talon brought his wings back then with one swift motion, brought them together so quickly that it created a gust that sent Marcus flying a good ten feet. Talon then dive-bombed Marcus, who barely managed to get out of the way in time. As Marcus got his footing back, he tried to light his lighter again, but Talon snuffed out the flame with one quick motion. "You think you can beat me with fire and projectiles?" Talon asked. "I can create strong winds with ease. If I wanted to, you would never even be able to light a single one of your projectiles."

"Then that makes this interesting." Marcus retorted. "I think."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I had just been thrown toward the feet of a Treant with brownish leaves. "So you're the one who did that?" I asked. I pointed my wand at it. "Well prepare to get crushed. Sawblade Shockwave!" Sawblades came blasting from my wand and at the Treant. When they collided with him, they dug into him slightly, before stopping. "Ha, how's that?" I asked.

The sawblades fell from the Treant and then the spots where they had dug into grew back instantly. "Patheticus." The Treant replied.

"Huh?" I asked as I looked at him. Roots then came out of the ground coming at me. I quickly dodged them then pointed my wand at the Treant again. "Rainbow Blast!" A blast of magic rainbow energy erupted from my wand and collided with the Treant but when the dust cleared he was still standing, without even a scratch.

"Est quod numquid potes optimus curo Stella Papilio?" The Treant said with a smile.

"What are you saying?!" I demanded.

The Treant rolled it's eyes then more roots come from the ground and grabbed my arms. "Vos neque potest Assula Betula!"

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" I shouted.

"He said his name is Splinter Birch." Marcus said, as he avoided one of Talon's swoop attacks.

"You speak Treant?" I asked.

"It's Latin." Marcus responded as he avoided another one of Talon's attacks.

I looked back at Splinter Birch. "Latin?" I asked. "It doesn't matter. Rabbit Rocket Blast!" I blasted free from Splinter Birch's grip and pointed my wand at him again. "Turbo Hydro Shockwave!" I blast of water erupted from my wand and hit him and like before; still, he didn't even flinch.

"Habeo militaverunt membra de papilio domus ante et nemo caesos omnes." He smiled.

"Just stop talking!" I shouted.

* * *

**And that is the end of this chapter … and it's going to be the last chapter for a bit seeing as … I need to go and pay my respects … to the first fandome that got me into writing fanfiction.**

**R&amp;R**


	13. Chapter 13

**Take a look everyone, take a good long look, this is what it looks like to have your foot stuck in your mouth. Let me elaborate, I said I wouldn't be posting anymore chapters for this story until I paid my respects to the P&amp;F series, BUT, I also said that this story needs to be finished before the SVTFOE hiatus is over and seeing as they happen near each other that doesn't leave me with a lot of time. Now I will still be paying my respects, but I will also be continuing this story because it needs to be finished before the first new episode of SVTFOE. Meaning that I will look at the schedule and think about how often I will be posting. Now about paying my respects, I have a new story that I've been saving for just such an occasion as this and the best part is that it's almost done already. But that's still a surprise.**

**thesnowyowl13: Well I'm glad you found the time to review and like I said, I've taken back that statement.**

**H. Mae: Things may change.**

**Steel Razer: Glad you like it.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: What's not fair?**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I try.**

**Fangirlandotaku: Well I'm sure that procrastination is the minds way of working threw problems … or not.**

**frazerd96: It kinda is.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

We were getting beaten by Ludo's new henchmen, and things were looking bleak. I was out of energy, Stella had taken one hit too many, and looked like she was about to fall to pieces. Marcus could only run, but he couldn't keep running forever, and Star was getting just frustrated, as she was getting beaten.

"Anyone have any ideas?" I asked as I kicked another mushren.

"Does anyone want to switch?" Marcus asked as he dodged another one of Talons' swipes.

"Easier said than done!" Star shouted as Splinter Birch held her in the air.

"If anyone else has a better idea, I'm all ears." Stella said as she narrowly dodged another punch from Boulder Blast.

"I didn't say it was a bad idea!" Star screamed as Splinter Birch squeezed her.

As I was about to look around for an opening, I was knocked over by Marcus who was struck by one of Talon's gusts. "Hey Marco. Did I drop in at a bad time?" He asked.

"Really?" I asked. "You're making jokes at a time like this?" I paused as I got an idea. "Actually your timing couldn't be better."

As he looked at me, confused, I pushed him out of the way; then turned to Talon, who was charging at him. I managed to side-step Talon just in time to avoid his swoop. "Help Star, I'll take both of these guys."

"Are you insane?" Marcus queried. Talon made another attempt at attacking Marcus, but because he was on the ground, he wasn't able to get as much speed as before; allowing me to grab Talon by the collar causing both of us to crash into more mushren. "Rescue Star, got it." Marcus said, before running towards Star.

"You are a fool." Talon declared as he got free. "Even if you could take me, you would have to fight Fungus Armungious as well. Not to mention that you've been fighting longer than anyone here, so you must be exhausted."

"Well you're right." I said as I took a few breaths. "I am exhausted and I can't take you and Fungus Armungious by myself."

"So then, what's your game?" He asked.

"My game?" I asked. I realized that my only hope was to keep him talking long enough for the switch to make its way around. "Well, it all starts with fanny packs."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was being squeezed by Splinter Birch. I had no idea how I was supposed to win this fight, seeing as he seemed to be immune to magic. "Nunc finis hoc!"

"I can't understand a word you're saying!" I shouted.

Just then, something exploded in Splinter Birch's face, causing him to let me go. As I looked around to look for what caused him to release me, I saw Marcus running towards me. "Star!" He shouted. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I replied. "Maybe little bruised up, but I'm fine." I looked over to Splinter Birch who was regaining his wits. "He's immune to my magic and he might just be invincible, what are we supposed to do?"

"He's a tree." Marcus said as he lit another rocket and fired it at Splinter Birch's face. "He isn't immune to your magic, your just not using enough force."

"I've been using the strongest spells I know." I replied.

"Well he's not a thin tree, he can endure a lot." He pulled out a roman candle and placed a hand on my shoulder. "If power doesn't work then the only other option is to wear him down/weaken him with fire, and that's where I come in."

"I can help." I offered.

He shook his head. "No, I'll take care of this, you help Stella. I don't know how much longer she can endure."

I looked over to Stella, then back at Marcus. "Fine, but you be careful."

"I don't know the meaning of the word." Marcus said with a smile. There was an awkward silence as Marcus contemplated what he just said. "Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke."

I rolled my eyes, then ran over to help Stella. When I got close I pointed my wand at Boulder Blast. "Super Jawbreaker Blast!" A giant jawbreaker appeared and collided with Boulder Blast causing him to fall over. "Stella!" I exclaimed.

She was holding her arm and looked like she was really bruised up. "Thanks for the assist Star." She replied.

"Can you still fight?" I asked.

"You want me to help Marco?" She asked. "Please say yes, because I can't do anything to this guy."

"Sure, I'll take care of Boulder Blast." I answered.

Stella began to make her way over to Marco when the ground began shaking. "You think I is taken down as easily as you have did?" Boulder Blast said as he got up without a scratch on him. "I wills take you to town."

"Well we'll just see about that." I said as I pointed my wand at him.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"And when the monkeys finish with the banana, that's when the potato chips kick in." I explained to a confused Talon and Fungus Armungious.

"I don't get it." Talon replied. "Your plan doesn't even make sense, how is it supposed to work?"

"Let me simplify it for you." I began. Stella rushed in with her bo staff and cleared about five mushren with one swing. "I'm stalling for time."

"Oh." Talon said as he nodded. "That was a good plan, I did not see that coming."

"Think you can hold off the bird long enough for me to cleanse some funguses?" Stella asked.

"It's pronounced fungi." I answered. "And I can rake on Talon, don't worry."

"Bold words from someone so tired." Talon said as he got ready to charge.

"You just going to stand there all day, or are you going to attack?"

Talon charged at me, full force, and I narrowly managed to dodge out of the way. When Talon came around for a second charge, he was slow enough for me to get a good punch into his solar-plexus. As he recovered, I grabbed him in a headlock; but that simply made him start thrashing about and head skyward. As I was in the air, holding on for dear life, I had a good view of Stella's fight with Fungus Armungious.

She was doing better than I was, her bo staff allowed her to strike multiple mushren down in a single swing; as opposed to what I had to do with just my fists. She was brutally destroying them one after anouther getting a lot of fungus guts on her as she mowed them down. "Impressive." Fungus Armungious said as he watched. "But how long do you think you can keep it up? In my life I've fought and defeated kings, armies, even entire dimensions! What could you possibly do to defeat my army?"

She looked at him with a crazed look in her eyes, then ran towards him taking down every mushren she encountered. When she reached him, she held her bo staff by the end with both hands and swung it as hard as she could, smacking Fungus Armungious in the head so hard that I almost felt it. "How …" Fungus Armungious began as his mushren began to fall. "How did you know that taking me down would stop my …" He fell unconscious.

"How hitting you would stop your army?" Stella asked. "I didn't, I just felt as though listening to you was worse than listening to Oscar's music."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Moments earlier)

Star had just left to assist Stella, leaving Marcus and Splinter Birch alone. "Audetis certamen?' Splinter Birch asked.

Marcus smiled. "Ego non ero non ita facile."

Splinter Birch looked at him interested. "Sic vos loqui mea lingua? Sed potest dimicatis?"

Marcus smiled as he lit his roman candle. Roots once again emerged from the ground headed in Marcus's direction; Marcus avoided them and got closer to Splinter Birch. Marcus then pointed the Roman candle at Splinter Birch as it went off; causing Splinter Birch to catch fire. "You should drink more water." Marcus began. "Your leaves will catch fire easily."

When the Roman candle finished, Splinter Birch was in flames but it only appeared to make him angry. "Te arbitraris queo ure memet?"

"Ego potest comburere pro vos favillae!" Marcus said with a devious smile, causing Splinter Birch to looked worried. Marcus pulled out another display tube and lit it. Splinter Birch began thrashing with the hope of stopping Marcus from firing the display tube, or putting out the fire. Neither of which worked however, since the display tube went off and Splinter Birch was hit with a ball of blue fire, followed by a ball of green fire; resulting in an inferno. "And when the bark catches fire, nothing can be done." Marcus said as he turned his back.

When the fire finally subsided, all that was left was a small branch that had broken off. Marcus picked up the branch and it opened its eyes. "Well well well." He said with a smile. "Looks like you survived."

"Misericordia." The branch pleaded.

Marcus smiled deviously as he pulled out his lighter and lit it. "Ego mustum ardebit." Marcus said as he brought the fire closer to the branch. "Ego mustum ardebit, ego mustum ardebit, ego mustum ardebit!" The branch began to cry until Marcus stopped. " Iustus iocari." Marcus said as he put the light out.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was staring down Boulder Blast as we both waited for the other. "You will be crushed by Boulder Blast." He exclaimed.

"I don't think so." I said with a smile.

"Boulder Blast can't be broken so Boulder Blast can't lose. Why does the butterfly think it can destroy a boulder?"

"Why don't you come here and find out?" I asked. "That is, if you're … boulder enough."

Boulder Blast clenched his knuckles and rushed towards me. I smiled and pointed my wand at him. "Super Rubber Containment Prison!" A box made completely out of rubber materialized around Boulder Blast and he collided with the end he was charging at sending him bouncing all around the cage.

"You think this can stop me?" He asked as he bounced.

"Oh I'm just getting started." I said as I bit the top of my wand. "Spinning Dizzy Turn Table!" a platform appeared below the cage that began spinning at a high speed.

"Make it stop!" Boulder Blast exclaimed as he bounced around the cage on the rotating platform. "I is getting sick!"

"Almost done Boulder Blast." I said as I readied my wand. "Turbo Shaker Earthquake Maker!" The cage began moving up and down as it was spinning causing Boulder Blast to gain an all new perspective on orientation. After a few moments I dispelled the spells and Boulder Blast looked like he didn't even know which side was up.

"I is dizzy." He said as he tumbled around. He stopped then tried to look at me. "This concludes my consciousness for today, goodnight." And with that, he fell over.

"Too easy." I said with a smile.

I looked up and saw Marco holding onto Talon for dear life. "Oh no." I began. "Marcus!" I exclaimed as I rushed over to him.

"Everything all right Star?" He asked as he put down a stick.

"You need to help Marco with Talon, use one of your fireworks!" I exclaimed.

Marcus looked around before finding Talon. "Star, my fireworks are barely accurate at close range, not to mention that if I do hit the target, I might injure Marco."

"Then what do we do?" I asked.

"Trust Marco?"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was holding Talon in the sleeper hold as he thrashed about ten feet above the ground; I had a bad feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong, but the distance from the ground couldn't have been that much because Talon was no idiot. "Just give up!" I shouted.

"You have to stop this." Talon responded weakly. "I … can't stay awake much … longer."

"Then land so you can fall asleep on the ground." I said as I held on tight.

"Are you even … watching?"

I opened my eyes to see that, although we weren't that high up, we were over the water. "TALON!" I exclaimed. "You have to fly back, now!"

"I … am … trying." He said as he flew back to the mainland.

Talon wasn't the only issue though, I finally hit my limit and my arms gave out sending me hurling into the sea. Talon also fell, but he was much closer to the mainland than I was; and to make matters worse, I couldn't stay afloat for much longer. "This might be the end." I said to myself as I tried as hard as I could to tread water.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched as Talon and Marco fell into the water. I ran to try to rescue him, but I was cut off by the remainder of Ludo's henchmen. "You're not getting out of this that easily Star Butterfly." Ludo threatened. "Buff Frog! Rescue Talon." He commanded.

Buff Frog saluted then jumped into the water to rescue Talon. "Wait!" I pleaded. "What about Marco?"

"Too far out." Ludo replied. "Not to mention ... I don't care."

I was about to go after Marco myself, but Ludo's henchmen blocked me. Thinking quickly, I turned to Marcus. "Marcus! Go get Marco!" I shouted.

Marcus looked out at Marco, then back at me. "Um … I … can't swim."

"WHAT?" I shouted.

"I never learned how to swim." Marcus replied.

I turned to Stella and was about to ask the same thing when Jackie dove into the water. "Looks like it's taken care of." Stella replied.

I watched Jackie swim past Buff Frog and Talon, on her way to Marco. I knew that she would be capable of getting to him so I turned my attention back to Ludo and his henchmen. "Turbo Narwhal Hallucination Blast!" A blast of energy encompassed all of Ludo's henchmen who began running around crazily.

"Darn you Star Butterfly!" Ludo exclaimed as Buff Frog returned with Talon. Ludo pulled out his dimensional scissors and opened a portal to his dimension. "Everyone, through the portal, NOW!" All of Ludo's men who were affected by the blast ran through the portal and Buff Frog began dragging Talon through. "Wait a minute Buff Frog." Ludo began. "Splinter Birch."

Buff Frog walked over to what was Left of Splinter Birch and picked him up, before walking through the portal. Ludo turned to Emmitt and Deer Beard, who had just gotten up. "You two, fetch Fungus Armungious and Boulder Blast."

Both of Ludo's henchmen looked at him concerned. "Fine!" Ludo admitted. "I'll open a portal closer, so it's easier."

While Ludo and his men were getting what was left of his forces, I ran to the edge of the dock to try and find Jackie and Marco. When I found them, they were almost to shore. When Jackie finally arrived, I helped her, and Marco out of the water and laid Marco on the ground. As I placed a hand on his chest I noticed something. "He's not breathing!" I shouted.

Jackie pushed me aside then began pushing down on Marco's chest. After a moment, she placed her lips against his and began blowing. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Mouth to mouth resuscitation." Marcus answered.

"I thought that the breathing wasn't necessary." Stella added.

"Is now really the time?" Marcus asked.

Stella remained quiet and I watched as Jackie continued what she was doing. After what felt like hours, Marco finally began coughing up water and came to. "Ugh … what happened?"

"Marco!" I shouted as I tried to grab him only to be stopped by Marcus and Stella.

"You nearly drowned." Jackie answered. "You … you were reckless." Jackie hugged Marco and I felt this strange feeling form inside me again, like when Stella first moved in.

After a moment, Marco looked at me surprised. "Star?" He asked.

Marcus and Stella quickly moved between Marco and I. "Seriously?" I asked. "He nearly died and you two think I'm going to hurt him?"

"It's all right." Marco replied. Marcus and Stella moved aside and allowed me to talk to Marco.

I knelt down to Marco's level and looked him in the eye. "Look … Marco … I'm … sorry about-"

"Oscar lied to you." Marco interrupted. "Or at least, he doesn't care about you."

"What?" I asked.

"What?" Stella and Marcus also asked.

"Oscar is just using you." Marco added. "I heard him say so myself. He only wants you so that more people come to listen to his horrible music."

"I can vouch for that." Jackie quickly added. "I was here when Oscar said it."

I looked at Marco, concerned. "Marco." I began. He looked at me nervously, awaiting my response. "I … I don't care about Oscar."

"You what?" Marco asked.

"I said I don't care about Oscar, or what he said. You need medical attention and that's all that matters right now."

"But Star-"

"No but's" I interrupted. "You can tell me about Oscar later."

* * *

**Have I ever told you guys how annoying it is to have an OC whose name is so similar to a character that already exists? Seriously, I can't count the number of times I've mistaken Marco for Marcus and vice versa, and I didn't even need to name him Marcus, that was simply on a whim, nothing more. *Sigh* Hopefully I will post my new P&amp;F story tomorrow and the next chapter of the other P&amp;F story I have soon after that.**

**R&amp;R**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know it's a short chapter but there's nothing I can do about it this time. Now a quick heads up, don't expect me to update anything tomorrow, I will be busy so don't ask. Now I need to get the reviews done and go to work.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Oh, don't worry, I won't be postponing this anymore.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I will.**

**H. Mae: I enjoyed reading your review, if I had more ti9me I would give a more thought out response but I don't so sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

We had made it back to the house in one piece; Jackie had decided to go home, but other than that, we were all here. Stella was in the worst shape of any of us, and even then, she only had minor aches and pains. I was sitting on my bed, with Star watching over me while Marcus and Stella were downstairs with the first aid kit.

"I'm sorry about what happened." Star stated.

"Don't be." I responded. "Ludo attacks all the time, we were just unprepared this time."

"Not about that." Star stated. "I'm sorry about attacking you a few days ago."

"Oh." I responded. "I … you don't have to apologize about that … I knew it was coming, so-"

"NO!" She interrupted. "I shouldn't have attacked you; no matter the reason. You're my best friend and I should have been more understanding, especially since Marcus said the same thing and I didn't attack him."

I sighed. "Look Star … how about we forget that whole thing ever happened and go back to being friends?"

"Besties?" She asked.

"Besties." I answered.

"Hugs!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around me.

I slowly wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes. "Hugs."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Later)

The hooded figure furiously walked into the room. "Master!" The figure called out, in a fit of anger. "You could have warned me that the help you were looking for was Ludo, and that you were giving him dangerous monsters!"

The silhouette appeared in the mirror and looked at the hooded figure. "I'm not seeing the problem."

"You could have killed me! Not to mention that you put all three candidates in danger!"

"I knew you would survive." The silhouette responded. "And based on your reaction I'm guessing you now know who the third candidate is?"

The figure crossed its arms. "Interesting, promising, possibly a winner, now can we get back to what's important?" The figure asked. "One of the candidates nearly drowned, and Star almost found out my secret."

"But the candidate didn't drown and did Star find out your secret?"

The figure looked away. "I don't think so, but she might find out soon."

"Deal with it as you see fit, so long as it doesn't affect the plan; I don't care if she finds out."

"I do." The figure responded.

"Then deal with it." The silhouette retorted. "Are you having second thoughts?"

The figure looked away. "No … so long as I get what you promised, I'm still on board."

"Good." The silhouette began. "Now for the update, what is the progress of the candidates in your opinion?"

"Candidate one is out the window, no chance he will make the cut now."

"As I figured, he didn't have good retention factors anyway. What of the other two?"

"Candidate number two shows progress but isn't ready just yet, as for candidate three, I feel as though that one could be ready on command."

The silhouette paused. "Can't go too fast or the retention will be poor." The silhouette noted. "Exactly how much time do think we have left?"

"Not much, it could have ended today if she was able to get to him when he was rescued."

"Then we must work fast." The silhouette began. "I will make contact with my other men and have them stir up a little chaos."

The figure looked at the silhouette confused. "You have other men? Then what on earth was Ludo for? What the heck do you need me for?"

"I am their leader so if I send them after Star then it's only a matter of time before she finds out who I am and that would make things much more difficult if not impossible."

"I understand but if you aren't careful then you will lose the other two candidates."

"Fair point, Ludo was only careless and I should have known what was going to happen. My men will be a bit more … precise. They're not going to make the same mistake as Ludo almost did, I will make sure of it."

"Thanks for the heads up this time." The figure retorted. "So then what is the plan now?"

The silhouette looked away. "Focus everything on candidate number two; hopefully we will be ready soon."

"Why candidate two and not three?"

"Better retention." The silhouette answered. "Now I have a special task for you."

A jar of purple dust suddenly appeared and slowly floated down to the figure. "What is it?" the figure asked.

"Get Marco to ingest it somehow. It will give us some breathing room and help with progress. Also, see if you can put some distance between Star and Marco."

The figure looked at the jar then back at the mirror. "When this is done you will keep your end of the bargain, correct?"

"Of course." The silhouette answered. "Once my plan is done I will keep my end of the bargain and make you whole once more."

* * *

**Time for me to make tracks. I will see you all sooner or later.**

**R&amp;R**


	15. Chapter 15

**Another day, another chapter, and another day closer to the end of the hiatus. I'm probably the only SVTFOE fan who is worried that it's coming to an end so quickly seeing as I want to finish this story before that. But I digress, let's get to the reviews.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Why thank you.**

**Steel Razer: Really? Who are they?**

**H. Mae: Like always I like reading you … wait … there's fan art for one of my stories? TELL ME WHERE! I MUST SE IT!**

**Guest: So you also think you know who the mysterious person is? Interesting.**

**Guest: Thanks.**

**Guest: Thanks.**

**YFT Renee: Really? You think it's her? Well … I'm not saying anything.**

**thesnowyowl13: Well you don't know who it is yet so give it the voice you want to.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The following Monday)

It was lunch time. I was on my way back from the lunch line, after getting unfortunately separated from everyone else. I had almost made it to our table when Lars stepped in front of me. "Well well well, look who it is, Marco Diaz."

"Must we do this, Lars?" I asked. "I'm really not in the mood."

"Sure." He said as he cracked his knuckles. "I just wanted to tell you that you got something on your face."

"My face?" I asked as I placed my hand on my face.

"Yeah." He knocked my lunch tray into my face. "It's your lunch. Aha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Not funny." I said as I wiped the remains of my lunch off my face.

"Correction, funny! Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

"That doesn't even make any sense!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, it makes perfect sense. Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." He walked off laughing his stupid laugh, and I got up and picked up my empty tray.

"Trouble with Lars?" I heard someone ask from behind me.

I turned around to see Jackie holding a tray, with a cover on it. "Only the usual, he still wants to get back at me for when Monster Arm beat him silly."

"Well that wasn't your doing, now was it?" She said as we began walking. "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay I guess, I mean almost drowning can be … kind of intense sometimes." I paused. "I forgot to thank you for saving my life, didn't I?"

She laughed. "Don't sweat it, I was happy to help." She stopped walking and had a nervous look on her face. "Um … Marco … do you … remember … what Ludo said back at the docks?"

"What?" I asked as I began thinking. "You mean when he said you were a mermaid?"

She looked down nervously. "Um … yeah, that."

"What about it?" I asked. "I mean mermaids usually have fins, and you clearly have legs."

"Not all the time … some half mermaids lose their fins when they grow up."

I slowly turned to her surprised. "Jackie … how … would you know that?"

"How do you think?" She asked. "I'm half mermaid on my mother's side."

"How does that even work?" I asked.

"Don't ask." Jackie replied. "Just … promise me you won't tell Star."

"What?" I asked.

"Don't tell Star, I … don't want people to know that about me."

"Then why tell me?" I asked.

"You may have put two and two together and found out, then you would tell Star; and then it will end up getting around the entire school."

"Okay." I began. I didn't want to keep a secret from Star, but Jackie seemed insistent on this and I didn't feel as though it was all that important for Star to know. "All right Jackie … I promise."

She smiled as we placed her tray on an empty table and took the cover off it revealing a lot of cupcakes. She took one out and handed it to me. "Here." She said.

"What are the cupcakes for?" I asked.

"Home Ec, sorry if they're not good, cooking isn't really my strong suit."

I took the cupcake and placed it on my tray. "I'm sure that they'll be great"

"Thanks." She picked up a second one and placed it on my tray as well. "I know it's not lunch, but it's better than nothing."

"Thanks." I said again. "Is Justin going to be okay with you giving me cupcakes?"

She looked at me strangely. "Why should I care what he thinks?"

I tilted my head a little. "Aren't the two of you dating?"

"Um … no." She responded. "Why would you think that?"

"Well I saw you two holding hands a few weeks back, and-" I froze for a moment. "wait … you mean to tell me you're not dating Justin?"

"No, I was only holding hands with him because of an incident involving glue." I was about to ask when she preemptively responded. "Don't ask."

"Okay." I felt a strange sensation come over me as my throat began to close up. "So … you aren't … dating Justin?"

"I just answered this Marco, I'm not dating Justin, I thought Star explained that to you."

The nervous feeling suddenly stopped. "Wait … what do you mean Star should have explained it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I told Star to tell you, and everyone else for that matter, that I wasn't dating Justin."

I stared at her, confused. "But … she … I … I guess she hasn't gotten around to it yet."

"I told her like … two weeks ago or something."

I looked over to our table, where Star was sitting along with everyone else. "Could she have … forgotten?"

"No idea." Jackie responded. "But look, I need to get going; so I'll see you around, all right?"

I simply nodded and Jackie walked away. "Star wouldn't … lie about something like that … would she?" I asked myself before walking over to the table.

"Hey, Marco!" Ferguson called as I got near.

"Hey Ferguson." I responded. I took a seat between Star and Stella.

"So I heard that you guys had a fight with that guy who always brings monsters." Ferguson began. "It's a shame I wasn't there, I would have taught those monsters a thing or two."

"Yes, I'm sure they would have loved to learn just how you scream like a girl." Marcus added. Everyone laughed, except Ferguson and I.

"Oh, but seriously." Stella began. "We barely made it out of that fight in one piece; I'm not even sure what to do the next time Ludo attacks."

There was a moment of silence before Star spoke. "I'm going to mention the elephant in the room and point out that Marco only has two cupcakes for lunch."

"Better than mine." Marcus stated as he held up a brown bag. "My … parents keep packing me a homemade lunch."

"That's not all that bad." Alfonzo noted.

"I have two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a juice box, and a carrot." Marcus stated.

"Why two?" I asked.

"No idea." Marcus responded. "Why do you only have two cupcakes for lunch?"

"Lars." I replied as I looked away. "He decided that my lunch would look better on my face, than on my tray."

"So he gave you two cupcakes?" Alfonzo asked.

"What? No, Jackie gave these to me; after Lars massacred my lunch."

Marcus pulled out one of his sandwiches and handed it to me. "Take this; you should eat more than just two cupcakes for lunch."

"Thanks." I said as I accepted the sandwich.

"Hold on." Stella said as she got up. "I'll be back." She walked away.

"So anyway, back to the fight." Ferguson began. "Is it true that you fought a giant mushroom monster?"

"More like I fought his brood." I responded as I took a bite of the sandwich. "He never stopped spawning those mushrooms; he would have beaten me into the ground if everyone else hadn't shown up."

"Dude, you have to bring us along the next time you think you'll be getting into one of these fights." Ferguson stated.

"How is making it harder supposed to be a good idea?" Marcus asked.

We all laughed except Ferguson, who looked annoyed.

"What'd I miss?" Stella asked as she returned.

"Nothing much." Star responded. "Where did you go?"

"Me?" She asked. "Oh right." She lifted up a bottle of fruit juice, twisted the cap off and handed it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked as I took the bottle.

"Well you need a drink right?" She asked.

"Oh." I took a sip. "Thanks … but why did you take the cap?"

"My dad collects them." Stella responded.

"Could have just asked for the cap back after." I responded as I took a bite of the sandwich Marcus gave me.

"Didn't think of that." She responded.

Just then, the sound of death screeched across the lunchroom; causing all of us, excluding Star, to place our hands over our ears. "Why now?" Alfonzo asked.

"Let me guess." Star began. "You don't like his music either?"

Alfonzo looked scared as he turned to Ferguson. "Um … I mean-"

"No one but you likes Oscar's music, Star." Marcus interrupted.

Both Alfonzo and Ferguson gave a nervous smile. "All right." Star said as she got up. "I'll talk to him." She walked over to Oscar as we all watched.

"Did something happen?" Ferguson asked.

"I heard Oscar say that he doesn't care about Star." I answered. "She didn't take it too well."

There was an explosion and Star made her way back, with her hair covering her eyes like she was angry.

"Is everything all right?" Alfonzo asked.

Star sat down, silently, and just looked at the table. "He … doesn't care … about anything but his music."

"Yikes." Marcus said with a cringe.

"I just asked if he could play a little softer, so that others could eat their lunch in peace. He then said that they could suck-"

"STOP STOP STOP!" Marcus shouted. "I've heard enough, don't need to hear anymore."

I looked at Marcus, then placed a hand on Star's shoulder. "Look Star, I'm sorry that things didn't work out with Oscar."

"Yeah right, you never even liked him." She retorted.

"Hey, just because I didn't like him doesn't mean I wanted things to go badly between you two." She looked at me, curiously. "What I wanted was for you to be happy and … that's why I pretended to like Oscar's music."

She smiled and gave me a hug. "Thank you Marco, I'm glad to have a friend like you."

"So when are you two going to start going out?" Ferguson asked. Both Star and I turned to look at Ferguson, shocked and confused. "Seriously, now that Jackie is taken and Oscar is an ass, you two should totally start going out."

"Don't kid like that." Stella stated. "They're just friends."

"Wait, did I miss something?" Marcus asked. "Since when is Jackie taken?"

"Since a few weeks ago." Star answered. "I even talked to her and she confirmed it."

I slowly turned to look at Star. "You talked to Jackie?" I asked.

"Yeah." Star responded. "I was hoping that it was a misunderstanding but no, she's dating Justin."

_She's lying._ I thought. _Jackie told me herself that she wasn't dating Justin, and that she told Star to tell me._ "Hey Star?" I began.

"What is it Marco?" She asked as she looked up at me.

"Could you … let go of me?"

Star looked confused for a moment, before she realized that she was still hugging me. "Oh, sorry about that." She said as she let go of me.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(After School)

I was lying on my bed after school had ended, thinking about the events that had transpired recently. Ludo attacked for the fourth time in two weeks, he had four monsters, specifically meant to fight all of us, and Star openly lied to me about Jackie. "Why on earth would she lie to me? And about Jackie of all things?" I asked myself. "I mean if she had just forgotten, that's one thing, but she openly said that Jackie had talked to her and lied about what she said."

"Maybe she just wants the attention from you." I heard a familiar voice say.

I instantly got up and looked around to see ...)no one. "Must have been my imagination." I let out a sigh. "All of Ludo's attacks must be getting to me … I mean normally he only attacks once a week but he's upped his game."

"Maybe you need a little help?" The voice said again.

I looked around again, and then under my pillow, and under my bed as well. "I must really be losing it."

"Or maybe you've found something." The voice said again. I was now sure that this wasn't a figment of my imagination; but I had no idea where the voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" I asked as I stood up.

"You mean you forgot?" It asked.

I looked in my closet. "Why are you hiding? And why does your voice sound familiar?"

"Because you know me, Marco Diaz." The voice replied. "I told you that you could never get rid of me."

My eyes went wide as I remembered where I heard that voice before. "Monster Arm."

"You do remember!" Monster Arm said, with joy.

* * *

**Alright, so a lot of people seem to think they know who the figures are so let's see what people think, tell me who you think is the person under the hood and I will see what you all think, I will also not tell anyone who is really under the hood until I'm ready to tell you.**

**R&amp;R**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well here I am yet again with my foot in my mouth, I know I said that I want to finish this before the hiatuses is over but I took another look at just how many chapters I have that haven't been posted and how many that I still have to write (don't exactly know how many in that manner) and there was no possible way I was going to finish this before the hiatuses was over. But I digress, the reason that this chapter was as late as it was was because … I have been struggling for motivation. See, thing is, now that school is over my boss wants me to work more hours and my ****attention span only last for so long and by the time work is over it's pretty much used up. Now I know what you're thinking, 'why not write on your off days?' and my answer to that is because I need to work with a teacher on a bad grade I got that shouldn't have been what it was and every time I drive forty five minutes to school, he busy and I can only get a few minutes in. Hopefully that will end soon and I will be able to write again but until then, to the reviews.**

** arael205: Why thank you, I try.**

**Bigmike33321: This Monday, in one of the new episode Star is supposed to go through something called Mewberty (I think I spelt that right) and … I'm not going to spoil it.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Sorry, I already have the idea of what I'm going to do with him down and I can't tell you if you're right or wrong.**

**Guest: Really? You think it's Stella? Interesting.**

**Steel Razer: Why obviously?**

**H. Mae: I saw it and I really liked it, I enjoy when people make fan art for my stories … doesn't happen that often. I also like reading your reviews.**

**Guest: Exactly, Marco wouldn't lie unless Star lied about something beforehand. Good thing she hasn't … oh**

**YFT Renee: Well, if I'm confusing you then I'm doing my job correctly.**

**NOT a Guest: Well if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck … wait till you realize what I'm talking about. And digest? Please tell me that the program didn't rewrite what I wrote, it's supposed to be ingest.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: The same thing he's always wanted … or at least … what I think he's always wanted.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"That's not possible!" I exclaimed as I examined my body for any trace of Monster Arm. "Star got rid of you man, she blasted you back into an arm."

"No one truly believed that a spell as simple as that would keep me away for long, even you had your doubts." Monster Arm replied. "I could feel them."

I began panicking as I looked under my desk, and in my closet, again. "Where are you?"

"Relax Marco. I can't manifest my physical form at the moment, and even then I would need your consent to do so; for now it's just my voice and it will stay that way, until you say otherwise."

"Well …" I looked around then lowered my voice. "Your voice is bad enough, I want you gone."

"I can't do that Marco, I'm part of you, remember?" Monster Arm said, a little too happily.

"I know someone who can." I said as I walked over to the door. "Star got rid of you before, and she can do it again."

"Star has no idea how to get rid of me and you know it." Monster Arm replied.

"She'll find a way." I retorted. "She won't stop until you're gone."

"Yes." Monster Arm replied. "The lengths she will go to for you."

I paused when I was about to turn the doorknob. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you know she doesn't know what spell to use to get rid of me. Do you really think she'll find it in her spell book?"

"Well … possibly." I said, as I looked away from the door.

"No, she won't. And when that option is out of the picture, what do you plan to do next?"

I sat down against the door. "There aren't any other options."

"Yes there are." Monster Arm replied. "And you know what they are … you just don't want to admit it."

I closed my eyes. "Star's mom might know what to do … but if she asks her then …"

"Then the King and Queen find out what their little princes has done, and send her away."

I shook my head. "Star would never knowingly do something that would get her sent to St. Olga's."

"You, yourself, said that she'll stop at nothing to get rid of me."

"But she wouldn't get herself sent away."

"Even to help her best friend?"

I buried my head in my knees. "She won't do it, she'll find another way."

"Listen to yourself Marco!" Monster Arm exclaimed. "You risk losing your best friend for no reason?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, I'm here to help." Monster Arm replied.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I said as I stood up.

"I'll admit we've had some … issues in the past."

"You tried to kill someone, and you tried to kill me." I said with a leer.

"Nonsense!" Monster Arm defended. "I would never kill you, we are one. As for Jeremy, I was just doing what you wanted."

"I just wanted to beat him, not eat his bowels!"

"I took it a little too far all right? But I've had time to think it over, and I realize what I did was wrong."

"Like I'm going to believe that." I said as I got up and walked over to my bed.

"Believe it or not, here are the facts, we are one, I'm not going away, and I can't do anything without your okay."

"So?" I asked.

"So, I'd like to … repent for my past transgressions."

"Yeah right." I said, as I sat on my bed. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"So does that mean you're willing to give me a chance?" Monster Arm asked.

I scowled. "What do you mean, chance? If you appear again, then Star will know for sure that you're back."

"I can do more than that." Monster Arm began. "I can, with permission, lend you my power to give you increased strength, speed, stamina, and skill."

"And why would I want that?" I asked.

"Because Ludo is getting stronger, and you're not."

I thought about what he said for a moment. "You'll just try to betray me." I replied.

"I will have no control over you, Marco. My physical form has merged with yours. Even if I were to manifest, you could easily change back on your own."

"I still don't believe you." I replied again.

"Then don't believe me!" Monster Arm exclaimed. "Believe your own feelings; you can feel the power I offer without using it, and you can see just what it can do."

I paused for a minute then closed my eyes and concentrated. Sure enough, I felt what Monster Arm was talking about, I couldn't explain it really, but I knew that all Monster Arm could do was give me this power. "You still attacked me, how do I know that you won't be able to do that again?"

"I've had time to understand who you are Marco, and you're not the monster I originally thought you were."

"You thought I was a monster?" I asked.

"I had no idea what a human was, all I knew was your motivation. But now, I've had time to properly understand you; and I can assure you, that even if I could, I won't attack you again."

I folded my fingers and exhaled. "Forgive me if I still don't trust you."

"It's okay. I knew you weren't going to say yes right off the bat, if at all."

My eyes went wide. "Wait, what?"

"Like I said, I'm a part of you now, I know you Marco, I know your motivations, your desires, even how you feel about Star."

"What?" I defended. "Star is just my friend and that's how I feel about her."

"If you say so Marco. Like I said, I know you're not going to trust me right away, so I only ask that for now, you let me earn your trust back. Something Star has never had to do."

I thought for a moment. "You can read my mind; you'll know every way to trick me."

"I only know what you're willing to share and nothing more; surly you don't believe that, but it is true. But as I've told you, I have no power over your actions; I only offer my assistance as a gesture of kindness."

I paused and thought to myself for a while. "I will need to think about it." I answered.

"That's all I ask, Marco." Monster Arm replied. "I promise, you won't regret it."

* * *

**Well I took a look at the guesses and we have a tie between Stella, Jackie, Marcus, and … Oscar? Really? Anyway, that's enough for this chapter and I'm off to write another, see you all later.**

**R&amp;R**


	17. Chapter 17

**Short chapter is short, I was almost going to combine it with the last and probably should have but didn't. But it's short hence why I'm posting it a day after the previous one. Now to the reviews.**

**Guest: But I like taking a long time between chapters … it makes me happy.**

**H. Mae: I actually do remember your review from that story.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yes, yes he is.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I think you mean Monster Arm.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting at my desk trying to comprehend the instruction book for my wand, with little success. "This is impossible." I said as I searched through the pages. "This isn't even the same information that was on this page when I passed it two seconds ago." I was looking for a powerful spell that would help the next time Ludo attacked; but this book had to be magic or something because every time I returned to a previous page it was like it had something new on it. On top of that, I had yet to come across a single offensive spell. "Is this thing enchanted or something?"

"It could be." I heard someone say. I looked over to the door to see Marco standing there, leaning against the door frame. "What spell are you looking for?"

"An offensive spell." I said, as I rested my chin on the book. "But I don't understand half of these spells, or why they are even here." I looked at the current page. "Take this one for instance, a spell that forces the target to tell the truth, how is that going to help?"

"I don't know, sometimes people hide stuff from you and you want to know what they are hiding; or why they are hiding it." Marco responded in a strange tone that almost sounded like he was being sarcastic.

I gave the spell a once over and rolled my eyes. "Well it doesn't matter because this spell is fifteen words long and I don't even know how to begin to pronounce half of them. And look at this." I turned the page then turned it back. "Now it's a spell about mending injuries."

"You mean like the one you tried to use on my arm when it was broken?" Marco asked.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think that one was meant to fix your arm … actually I'm not sure what it was meant for at this point."

"Well, good thing we fixed that mess." Marco said as he rubbed his arm. "Did you try the index?"

I shook my head. "I can't even get to the index, I try flipping to the last few pages but when I do, I'm still in the middle of the book, it's like this book is defying the laws of nature."

"You have a habit of defying the laws of nature with your wand, I hope you know." He said as he walked over. "Maybe you should take a break?"

I flipped through a few pages and sighed. "I can't, I need to find some spell that I can use to fight Ludo's new minions." I stopped at a page that had a picture of a heart on it and dropped my head on the book.

"What's that one?" Marco asked.

I lifted my head slightly to read. "It's a list of spells that come in handy when … courting."

"Courting?" Marco asked.

"This book has an annoying sense of irony." I said as I hit my head on the book again. "All it does is remind me that if I see Oscar again I'm going to blast him."

I heard Marco pull up a chair and sit beside me. "Star look … you have to relax or the stress is going to be worse than anything Ludo could do."

"But I have to." I said, with my head in the book. "If Ludo attacks then we might be in trouble, it was only luck that all four of us were there, and Ludo was just testing his new minions so he had them attack all of us alone, that might not happen next time."

Marco placed an arm around me. "Well remember, Marcus burnt Splinter Birch down to a twig; so until he grows back, we have you to watch our backs."

I looked at him and felt at ease. "Thank you Marco, but Splinter Birch won't stay a twig forever, and I don't think he'll start speaking English any time soon."

"Well, while we wait we can work on a way to beat them." He laughed a little. "But I have no idea what we're going to do about understanding him, we might be in some serious trouble there."

I giggled. "We could always have Marcus teach us Latin."

Marco stood up and placed a foot on his chair. "That's it, once we all speak Latin then we will be truly unstoppable!"

I laughed. "Oh Marco, you're too much."

He smiled back at me. "Well I try, at least this time I didn't have to lure a bunch of monster here."

"Awe, come here you." I stood up and wrapped my arms around Marco. "Hugs."

Marco hugged me back. "I'm glad I was able to cheer you up."

"Oh." I said as I let go of him. "That reminds me." I picked up my bag and pulled out my test from a few days ago. "Thanks to you I'm doing better in school!"

"Sweet!" He replied. "Keep this up and your parents won't send you away, right?"

"Yup." I said as I put down the test. "Think you can tutor me some more?"

"Sure thing." He said with a smile. "I'll be back in a moment."

I watched as Marco left the room. I turned back to the book and flipped through a few pages. _It's a good thing Marco and I managed to get over the argument we had earlier._ I thought. _I like that we get to spend more time together, now that everything is behind us._ As I continued looking I noticed my heart was racing. _Well that's odd._ I thought as I placed a hand on my chest. _Why is my heart beating so fast?_ As I was looking through the pages I remembered something that might have been important. _I lied to Marco about Jackie … I completely lied, right to his face …_ My heart was still racing. _Why did I do that?_

* * *

**Sorry I don't have much time to talk but I will talk to you all at a later time.**

**R&amp;R**


	18. Chapter 18

**I have amazing news, not only have my seasonal allergies started acting up giving me a freakishly stuffy nose and frequent headaches, but I also contracted food poisoning! Isn't that amazing? Wait a second, that's not amazing in the slightest, as a matter of fact, my stomach felt like it was going to burst open all last night and the night before I woke up grasping for air because the airway in my knows was completely blocked and seeing as it was about 5 in the morning I couldn't take anything that would put me to sleep otherwise I would be asleep all day and if I took anything else I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, kinda ironic. But I did learn something important about cold medication and took something that did nether, saw Jurassic World, tried going to sleep only to have my eardrum blow out and have to fix it for an hour, and then have the stomach pain start from something I eat earlier which is still going on. So all in all, I had an interesting past two days and I am going to see a doctor tomorrow … hopefully. In the meantime, please enjoy this chapter which will be the last for a short while.**

**PureWishes02: I promise you that I have not seen the method I'm about to use be used before on this site for this show … but honestly, there aren't many original ideas out there and you want to know why? Because they are sterile, once one is taken, there is one less possible original idea in the world and that number (although unknown) will never go up. But I will tell you something a teacher told me, 'every idea has been done at some point, but what hasn't been done is that idea by you, and that is original' (I really went long on this one).**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: All I can promise is that I will do my best.**

**H. Mae: And acceptance is the first step to recovery.**

**Guest: You mean the servant of the silhouette, right?**

**Steel Razer: How does having a hoodie compare to wearing a full cloak?**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: Well to put it simply … probably.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(One week later)

It was lunch time and Marco and I were sitting at our table waiting for everyone else to arrive. "Do you find it strange that everyone's arrival time at this lunch table is so skewed?" Marco asked. "I mean on day, we get here after everyone else, the day after that, we arrive at completely opposite ends of the spectrum and the next day we get here before anyone else."

"I don't think about it too much." I replied. "It's not like it really matters anyway."

"I guess you're right." Marco replied.

"Hey guys." Stella said as she arrived. "Do you find it odd that we arrive at this lunch table at such sporadic times?"

"We were just talking about that, Stella." Marco replied.

"Oh." Stella said as she sat down.

"Hey guys." Ferguson said, as he and Alfonzo arrived.

"Yes, we find it strange that we all arrive at random times." Marco replied instantly.

Ferguson looked at Marco, strangely. "Um … okay, not what I was going to say but yeah, that is strange."

Both of them sat down and began eating. "Well all we need now is Marcus and then the gang's all here." I said as I looked around for him.

"Oh, he's not going to be in today." Ferguson replied.

"What?" Marco asked. "How would you know?"

"He's in our gym class." Alfonzo answered. "He didn't show up today, so we suppose he's sick."

"I didn't know you had gym with him." Marco replied.

"Guess it never came up." Ferguson answered. "But let me tell ya, that guy has something strange going on or something."

"Not this again." Alfonzo said as he rolled his eyes.

"Wait, what's going on?" I asked.

"Ferguson thinks Marcus is magical." Alfonzo replied.

"Not magic." Ferguson clarified. "But you remember how hot it was yesterday, right?"

"Yeah." Stella responded. "It was hot enough to fry an egg on the blacktop."

"Someone did fry an egg on the blacktop." Marco clarified.

"Well yeah, but apparently Marcus doesn't feel it or something." Ferguson explained.

"It's not he doesn't feel it Ferguson." Alfonzo clarified.

"His gym clothes consist of a black sweat shirt and black sweat pants, and that's all he ever wears, including yesterday."

"So?" I asked. "What does that have to do with the heat?"

"Black clothes absorb all wavelengths of light, meaning they absorb heat better than other colors; making them heat up faster." Marco explained.

I turned to look at him. "I still don't get why, but okay." I paused. "Wait … why didn't anyone tell Marcus about this?"

"Because he probably knows about light." Marco explained. "I mean being a fireworks expert, you have to be."

"Then why did he wear all black on a day as hot as yesterday?"

"No one knows." Ferguson said mysteriously.

Alfonzo rolled his eyes. "He said that he has a burn scar that he doesn't want people to look at."

"Well that would explain it." Marco replied. "Why is it so strange?"

"In heat like yesterday? I would think that a little embarrassment would be preferable to dying from heat stroke." Ferguson answered. "And besides, he's so obsessed about it that he doesn't even change with everyone else, he goes into a bathroom stall to change."

"You worry about it too much." Stella responded.

"Whatever." Ferguson said, before going back to eating.

We all sat there eating, for a while, until I came up with an idea. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "After school, we should all go and check on Marcus to see if he's all right."

"Sounds like a bad idea." Stella responded.

"Count me out." Ferguson replied.

"I have book club." Alfonzo added.

"I don't like this idea," Marco began. "...but I'll come along, seeing as no one else is going to."

"Yeah!" I exclaimed.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(After school)

Marco and I were walking out of our last class of the day and, were about to make our way to Marcus's house. "I wonder what his parents are like." I asked. "All he told me was that they used to work with fireworks as well."

"Used to?" Marco asked.

"Well they might still … he didn't tell me."

As we walked, I heard the sound of a skateboard approaching from behind. When I turned around, I saw Jackie coming towards us. "Hi Jackie!" I said as she approached.

"Hi Star." She replied as she came to a stop. "Real quick, do you have a cell phone?"

I shook my head. "I just use Marco's whenever I need to give someone my number."

She looked at Marco then back to me. "Well … can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Um … sure?" I replied.

She looked at Marco again. "Alone?"

I looked at Marco, then at Jackie. "Oh … um-"

"I'll just catch up with you later." Marco said, before walking away.

I watched, and felt a small pinch inside but paid it no mind. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to invite you to a slumber party I'm hosting this Saturday." Jackie replied.

"Slumber party?" I asked. "Really? I've never been to a slumber party on earth before!" I exclaimed excitedly. "What time does it start?"

"About five or six, just don't-"

"Don't tell Marco?" I interrupted. "I know that boys aren't allowed, I've been to a few on Mewni so I know the basic ground rules."

"That's good to know." She responded. "So I'll see you this Saturday?"

"Sure, I'll be there." I answered.

"Cool, I'll see you Saturday then." She skateboarded off as I waved.

"I'm going to a real earth slumber party!" I said excitedly. "I can't tell Marco, but I'm sure he'll understand." I paused. "Of all the things I'm keeping from him, it's probably the only thing he'll understand; but progress is progress."

I began walking as I tried to catch up with Marco. When I did, I found him waiting outside the school for me. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" I asked.

"No, not really." Marco replied. "So, what did Jackie want to talk about?"

"It's a secret." I answered. "Shall we be off?"

Marco paused for a moment before responding. "I guess so."

We began walking. I used my magic wand to make flowers on the ground, beside where I was walking. "I can't wait to see what his parents are like." I said cheerfully.

"You've already said that." Marco replied. "And I'm sure they can't be that interesting."

"Oh, there is it." I said as I pointed to a house that looked like Marco's only without the cacti and magic tower. I walked up to the door and began knocking. "I'm excited."

"You know, we are showing up unannounced Star, we might not-"

Marcus was interrupted by the door being opened by a woman with long blond hair and wearing a yellow sundress. "Hello?" She asked.

"Hi, my name's Star; and this is Marco." I began. "We're friends of Marcus and we're here to check on him, because he wasn't in school today." I answered.

She looked at me a little curious. "Wait … Star Butterfly?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's me." I answered.

"Yes, Marcus has talked about you, please, come in." She said as she opened the door.

I walked in and Marco followed close behind. The house looked a lot like Marco's, only where Marco's house had that whole Mexican theme, this one seemed to lack a specific theme but was no less decorated. "Please, don't mind me." Mrs. Dixon began. "My husband is at work and I need to get back to cleaning."

Marco looked over at table, along the wall, that had a picture frame on it. "Is this him?" He asked as he pointed to the frame.

"Oh, yes, that's him." She said as she walked over.

I looked at the picture to see that it was a wedding picture; the man in it had short blond hair, a medium build, and green eyes. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dixon looked extremely happy in the picture. "You don't look like you've aged a day." I complimented.

"Thank you." She responded. "Everyone tells me that I look very good, for my age."

"Well it's true." I said as I looked at a picture next to it, that one was of Marcus. He looked almost the same as he does now, maybe a few years younger. "When was this one taken?"

"A few years back." She answered. "It's the oldest photo we have of him."

"Why's that?" I asked.

She looked at me, confused, for a moment before pausing. "Oh … he … what I meant was … it's the oldest photo we have of him out on display."

"I see." Marco said as he continued looking at the pictures.

"Well, I should get back to cleaning, Marcus's room is upstairs, last door on the left. Just be sure to knock before going in."

"Okay." I replied. She went into the kitchen and I looked over to Marco. "She seems nice."

"Yeah." Marco replied.

I grabbed Marco by the wrist. "We should check on Marcus now." I rushed up the stairs.

When I got to his door I immediately knocked, and heard something move on the other side. "Ugh, what is it?" Marcus asked.

"Marcus!" I began as the door was half way open. "We came to check-" I stopped when the door was fully open and I saw that Marcus wasn't wearing a shirt. I quickly covered my eyes and turned around as fast as I could. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I pleaded as the door closed behind me. "I didn't see anything!" I lied, trying to forget the image I just saw. Marcus didn't have just one burn scar, his entire upper body was littered with them, right up to his forearm.

After some time the door opened again and I heard Marcus's voice. "You can uncover your eyes now."

I turned around to see that Marcus had put on a gray tee shirt, but I could still see the burn marks on his arms. "We should have announced ourselves before you opened the door." Marco began.

"Might have been a good idea." Marcus replied. "I didn't expect you guys."

"We wanted to make sure that you were all right, seeing as you weren't in school today." I answered.

"You could have called ahead." He replied. "Or just called in general."

"We don't have your phone number." I explained. "And I really wanted to meet your parents."

"You met my parents?" He asked.

"We met your mom." Marco answered. "But we saw your dad in a picture."

"So you know that too, now." Marcus said to himself. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

I was confused by what Marcus was talking about. "Wait, what else do we know?"

Marcus looked back at me, then ran his fingers through his dark red hair. "So … you didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" I asked.

"Nothing." Marcus replied. "Would you like to come in?"

"You contagious?" Marco asked.

"Just heat-exhaustion, the school air-conditioning breaking didn't help matters."

"All right then." I replied. I walked in, followed by Marco. I took a seat in a chair Marcus had by his desk, and Marco took a seat in another chair; while Marcus sat on his bed.

"So what happened?" I asked

"Like I said, I over heated. I collapsed when I got home, and the doctor recommended that I take the day off and stay cool."

"Wow … that … must have been … quite … the … experience." I said as I tried not to look at the scars on his arms.

He rolled his eyes. "You want to know about this don't you?" He asked as he held up an arm and pointed at one of his scars. Both Marco and I nodded. "I was … very careless as a kid." He explained. "I guess you could say that I was a slow learner, because nearly every time I started a fire, I would burn myself. I don't even remember half of them."

"And your parents still let you work with fireworks?" I asked.

"I haven't had one accident since I was ad … since I first starting working with fireworks?" He replied as more of a question than an answer. "I've taken many precautions, and my parents don't even have a single source of fire in this house."

Marco paused then looked back at the door. "Wait … how-"

"We have an electric stove, no fireplace, every outlet in the house is covered when not in use, almost every wire is one of those special wires and those that aren't, have to be kept in the kitchen. I'm not even allowed to charge my phone in my room. There's also a giant fire extinguisher in the kitchen and a mini one in every other room including the bathrooms."

"But you have those lighters that you keep on you at all times." I replied.

"But they don't know that." Marcus replied. "And please don't tell them."

"How do you work on fireworks?" Marco asked.

"In the garage, it's not really used for anything else, and my parents have a sprinkler in there that's so damn sensitive that it could go off at the slightest hint of smoke."

"So … do they hurt?" I asked.

Marcus was confused at first, but realized what I was talking about. "No, not so much, and I don't mind them ... aside from the strange looks I get."

"We're not telling anyone." Marco replied.

"Thanks." Marcus noted.

I got up and smiled. "So are you feeling better?" I asked.

He looked around and shrugged. "I feel a lot better than yesterday."

"Then what would you say to going dimension hopping?" I asked.

"Say what?" Marco asked.

"As long as there's no place hot, I'm up for it." Marcus answered.

"Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Just let me use the bathroom really quick."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I watched as Star left the room, closing the door behind her; when I was sure that she was out of earshot I turned to Marcus. "I bet she can be a handful sometimes." Marcus commented.

"It's worth it." I replied. "Her craziness is one of the reasons I like her."

"Like her as a friend, or like her as more than a friend?" Marcus asked.

I let out a laugh. "What? Star and I are just friends."

Marcus laughed back. "Marco, I've had a few foreign exchange students living with me, I've had female foreign exchange students living with me. I've had favorite female foreign exchange students living with me … actually it was a little like you and Star, but I still think you like Star as more than just a friend."

I shook my head. "Well … she's … it's …" I sighed. "I'm not sure … a lot of things are going on right now and I don't need another thing making it more complicated."

"I know that feeling." Marcus responded.

I looked away and sighed. "Hey Marcus … can I … ask you something?"

"I have a feeling I already know the question but go ahead."

"Both your parents have blond hair right?"

"Yup." Marcus said as he looked away.

"And you have brown hair."

"Correct again."

I paused not wanting to ask the next question. "And … blond hair is receive so-"

"I was adopted." Marcus interrupted. "It was a few years ago, I still remember my birth parents, a little … and what I was told about them."

"Oh." I said softly. "Sorry. I just … I shouldn't have-"

"Don't sweat it." Marcus replied. "Just don't tell Star, I'd rather not advertise it."

* * *

**And there's the end of the chapter, now to stare at the screen until the pain goes away.**

**R&amp;R**


	19. Chapter 19

**Alright, I'm updating today because I need to update this week and the episode last night. Now first thing is first, I liked the new animation, forget what everyone else said, I don't think it's bad, I did feel like Mewberty was lacking a little but all in all, I did like the two little Starco moments which I would like to say I called. I did not however call the wings that PFTones3482 managed to predict and congrats to him/her for the prediction. And now for the reviews.**

**Rainbowlaserparty: Thank you, and I've gotten a lot better since then.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I will try.**

**Steel Razer: Well like always, I make no comment as to whether your right or wrong.**

**H. Mae: First thing is first, Marcus's hair was supposed to be dark red but I changed it to brown because I used that hair idea already. Second, I was … considering answering your questions but then you kept asking more and I just liked hearing them so much that I decided to make this story longer to keep you waiting longer for your answerers … HA, I didn't actually do that but I do like hearing your reviews. Also I do like it when people draw things for my story.**

**Omg: Well … things are about to go from bade to worse.**

**Laura o mine: The difference between Marco's secrets and Star's secrets is that Marco is keeping them because it's a favor for a friend, Star is keeping them because … well … um … I can't really say.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, other unrevealed OC, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A few days later)

It was the end of the school day, and Marco and I were leaving the building, when Marco stopped at the crosswalk. "Oh, damn, I forgot I have to sign up for the local karate tournament." Marco said as he facepalmed.

"Well can't you do it now?" I asked.

Marco looked at his watch and his eyes went wide. "Don't have much time." He began running in the other direction. "I'll see you at home Star." He said as he ran.

"Can't I come?" I tried to ask. Sadly, Marco didn't hear me because he was already gone. "No point now." I said with a shrug. "Looks like I'm walking home alone today."

I began walking home by myself. I had done so before, but for some reason I felt a little upset about it. "Ludo's not going to attack again; there hasn't been enough time for his minions to recover." I looked back at where I last saw Marco. "He's going to be fine … right?" I started walking again, then looked back. "Why can't I just let this go? Is it because I lied to him about Jackie?" I looked ahead and started walking again. "And why did I lie to him about her? Sure, she asked me to not tell him that she kinda likes him but … he wouldn't be any different than he was before."

I continued walking, with my head down, as I thought. "Hey Star!" Some boy shouted as he ran up to me with a pen and paper. "Can I have your autograph?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." I took the pen and paper, signed the paper, and handed it back to the boy.

"I HAVE STAR BUTTERFLY'S AUTOGRAPH!" He shouted with joy before running off.

"Okay." I said as I watched him run off.

"Star!" A girl shouted as she ran up to me. "Hi."

"Hi." I responded.

"I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH STAR BUTTERFLY!" She shouted before running off.

"Okay, that was weird." I said as I watched her run off.

"STAR STAR STAR!" Another guy said as he ran up to me. "Shake my hand?"

I hesitantly reached out and shook the boy's hand. When I let go, the boy was beaming with joy. "I SHOOK HANDS WITH STAR BUTTERFLY!" He shouted. "I'M NEVER WASHING THIS HAND AGAIN!" He also ran off.

"Okay, now this is getting out of hand." I said as I watched him run off as well.

"STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR!" Another girl screamed as she ran up to me, jumping excitedly.

"What!" I exclaimed.

"STAR BUTTERFLY BREATHED ON ME! NOW I CAN DIE HAPPY!" She also ran off leaving me very, very confused and worried.

"You'll have to excuse them." I heard someone else say from behind me. I turned back around to see a boy, not much older than myself with short red hair, and a white cloak. Behind him stood a number of people with similar cloaks, only with their hoods up, so I couldn't get a good look at their faces. "Some of my men aren't as … refined."

"Refined?" I asked.

"Able to control their impulses. Some just lose it and go mad, but what can you expect when in a group such as ours?"

"And what group might that be?" I asked as I placed my hands on my hips.

The boy laughed slightly. "We are a group of likeminded individuals with a great devotion to something, and have come together to properly attain and worship that something."

"Well, that's an awfully fancy way of saying you're a cult." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Perhaps." The boy said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "But that's not really important now, is it?"

"Can you just get lost already?" I asked. "I'm not joining your cult and … who are you anyway?"

He looked at me, surprised, before bowing. "How could I be so rude, you may call me Lannister, and I am one of our groups higher ups."

"Okay, why should I care?" I asked again.

"Because we need you … to come with us." He said, as he offered a hand.

I thought for a moment, before shaking my head. "Working with a cult sounds the exact opposite of smart, sorry."

He looked confused, then started laughing. "You misunderstand Star, we aren't asking."

"And there's nothing you can do to force me to help you." I shot back.

"Again, you misunderstand us." Lannister repeated. "We don't need your help, we just need you."

"Say what?" I asked, shocked, as I took a few steps back.

He laughed again and bowed. "We are the … cult … of Star Butterfly."

"Say what?!" I asked again, feeling an odd sensation of flattery and disgust. "I never asked for a cult!"

"One never does Star, now make this easy on yourself and come along quietly."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding; you honestly think that you can force me against my will?"

He raised an arm into the air. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." He said with a frown. "Men, get her and try not to damage her too much."

All the cultists behind him charged me. "Rubber Ball Blast!" I shouted, causing a bunch of large rubber spheres to appear and collide with the cultists sending them flying. I began running in the opposite direction as fast as I could. I quickly turned a corner and jumped behind a bush; hoping that I would be able to lose them and much to my surprise, they ran right past me.

"Damn it, where did she go?" I heard Lannister ask.

"Looks like she got away." Some other voice replied.

"Well that's just perfect." Lannister said sarcastically. "Looks like we'll have to switch to plan B."

"As you wish." The other voice replied. "Shall I give the order?"

Lannister was quiet for a moment. "No … I would like to check something first then I will give the order myself."

"Understood." The voice replied.

I waited a few more moments until the sound of footsteps was gone, then I took a peek out to make sure that no one was there. "I inspired a cult … well that's just great." I said as I got out of my hiding spot. "I wonder what plan B is ... I'll have to worry about it later. I need to get home before more of these cultists find me."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

I was walking through the front door of the house after a longer then desired game of cat and mouse with the cultists. "Phew, that was close."

"What was close?" I heard Marco ask. I looked up to see him walking out of the kitchen.

"Oh Marco, you're not going to believe it." I froze as I was about to continue. "I … I managed to just barely get a C on a pop quiz today." I lied.

"You had a pop quiz today?" He asked.

"Yeah and it was brutal." I began as I walked over to him. "I'm just glad it was multiple choice or I might have not passed."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" He asked.

I looked away as I tried to think of what to tell him. "I … I didn't want you to worry."

He looked at me. "Star, … your acting kind of strange."

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I made my way to the stairs. "I'm perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with me, I just need to … um … study my magic spell book."

"But you never study your magic spell book unless you have a reason." Marco pointed out.

"Never a bad time to start." I said before running upstairs. I ran into my room and blocked the door. "I can't tell Marco about this." I began. "If I do then he'll end up getting himself dragged into it; then he'll get hurt like he did when we fought Ludo at the docks, or worse." I smiled and waved a hand. "And they're just cultists, how bad can they really be?"

* * *

**I know I've said this earlier but … I feel a bit out of sorts since Phineas and Ferb ended. I know I made a whole speech about how it's normal and a apart of my life that it ended but it still feels weird. Now if you're looking for my thoughts on the new SVTFOE episode that premiered yesterday then … why did you skip past the opening authors notes? That's where I said my thoughts on it. Now to send my next chapter to my beta and hold it until I feel the earth start to move around the sun meaning that I've finally become a time lord.**

**R&amp;R**


	20. Chapter 20

**Alright, so I know it's been some time and posting a chapter an hour (or so) before the new episode isn't the best idea but … I honestly can't get motivated to write my current chapter and I just deleted half of it because it wasn't something I thought did anything important. Point is, I need to find my motivation again before I can write again so until I do, I will only have a few chapters left so things might be slow for a while. Now to get to the reviews.**

**H. Mae: You are so excitable that I have added a new personal goal for when I'm writing this story. Don't ask, if I tell you then it would be cheating.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I think I already told you but now that you mention it, maybe watching that for the seventh time will bring back my motivation. Yes, I've only watched it once every day since it came out.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: They left a big hole my friend … one that may never replace.**

**PureWishes02: It actually did make sense, I've also had a few shows that ended but the one thing I know is that there will always be more shows.**

**Alex Shinkle: I'm working on it.**

**Steel Razer: I don't remember how I thought of them really … I can't seem to remember.**

****shelton**: You will see.**

**PFTones3482: When I saw your review I couldn't believe my eyes. I hope you enjoy what is about to happen.**

**Alex Shinkle: I will.**

**Ghfhfhvhv: Um … maybe.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The following day)

I was sitting at the dining room table, with Stella, finishing up breakfast, as I began wondering about the tournament later today. "You think that there will be some tough competition there?" I asked.

"Well I'm going to be there, so you probably have no hope." She responded.

"I mean aside from you." I added.

"Probably." She replied as she sat back in her chair. "Who knows who's going to be there."

"Fair point." I said as I stood up to put my bowl away. I walked over to the sink and I heard someone walking down the stairs. I walked over to see who it was and saw Star was walking to the front door. "Where are you off to?" I asked.

Star turned around, surprised. "Marco! … I was … just going out."

"Out wher-" I stopped myself and shook my head. "Actually … never mind that, are you going to be at the tournament later?"

"Tournament?" She asked.

"The karate tournament." I answered.

"Oh that." She began. "Um … sure, I'll meet you there."

"Really?" I asked. "Because I've been getting the sense that you're not too interested in-"

"I love watching you fight Marco." Star began. "I promise you that I will make it to your tournament before the first round even begins."

"Cool." I replied. "So I'll see you later then."

"Sure." She said as she opened the door. "I'll see you later."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

Stella and I arrived at the tournament and were already seated, waiting for everyone else, and for the competition to start. It was a large event so they had rented out a larger gym than before, and there were around sixty competitors. It was only a few more minutes before the tournament would start and I could not spot Star anywhere in the audience. "Hey, Stella, do you see Star anywhere?" I asked.

"Can't say I do." She replied. "Your parents aren't here either."

"They said that they wouldn't be able to make it." I replied. "I still can't find Star."

"So what?" Stella asked. "Why is it so important that Star make it?"

"Because she said she would and …" I sighed. "I just … things are … things have been … strained between us."

"Ah, you don't think she's your friend anymore, is that it?" Stella asked.

"No." I responded. "I mean … I don't think that's it … I hope not … possibly … I don't know."

"Well you shouldn't stress about it because the tournament is starting."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was running to the address Marco had given me, I had lost track of time while trying to find out more about the cult ; now I was going to be late. "Marco's going to kill me." I said as I realized that I turned a wrong corner.

"Don't worry Star." I heard someone say. I turned around to see a bunch of hooded cultists, one sporting long blue hair. "We'll keep you safe from your friends."

"Really? I was looking for you guys all day and now you show up?" I asked as I pulled out my wand.

"We didn't want to make you late for your date with Marco, but seeing as he's going to be a danger to you ... we thought it best if you don't go." The leader replied.

"Who gave you permission to dictate what I should do?" I asked.

"We're only trying to keep you safe." He replied. "But I digress, my name is Roy, and we will be taking you away now."

"Roy huh?" I pondered. "So you're another one of Lannister's stooges?"

"Lannister? I'll have you know that I'm on the same level as that worthless idjit."

"Sorry I asked." I pointed my wand at them. "Rainbow Blast!"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

The first round was over, and Stella and I had emerged victorious. At the moment there was an intermission for the competitors could take a minute to rest if needed. "I told you I could handle myself." I said as I took a seat next to her.

"It was only the first round." Stella pointed out. "And I'm glad you were able to function without your Butterfly here."

"My what?" I asked.

"Star." Stella answered. "You wanted her to come and she hasn't yet so-"

"I know what you meant, but why say Butterfly?" I asked.

"It sounded better in my head." She replied.

"Well, well, well, Marco Diaz." I heard a familiar, yet annoying, voice say.

"Jeremy Birnbaum." I said without turning around to see who it was.

"It looks like you managed to squeeze yourself past the first round. Sadly, your luck is about to run out, seeing as you're going up against me next round."

"Say what?" I asked as my eyes opened wide.

"Looks like my second fight's going to be easier than my first." He said as he walked away.

"I turned around and watched him walk away, gloating. "I can't believe it."

"He's just a kid." Stella replied. "What do you really have to worry about?"

"Oh, I'm not worried." I said as I clenched my fists. "I'm going to kick his butt."

"Will all contestants proceed to their respective rings for the second round!" The announcer called out.

"Looks like it's time for round two." Stella said as she stood up. "I'll see you after you win."

"See ya." I replied.

I made my way over to the ring, where my match was taking place, and looked at the judge. "The match between Jeremy Birnbaum, and Marco Diaz will soon commence, do either of you have any questions on the rules?" He asked.

"I'm good." I replied.

"No questions here either." Jeremy added.

"Then take your positions." Both Jeremy and I took our positions in the ring and bowed. "Take your guard." I took a deep breath and slid my right foot back so that it was in line with the heel of my left foot and brought my hands up into a guard, Jeremy did the same only he was smiling. "And … begin!" Jeremy quickly threw a punch right down the center which I was able to block easily but then followed it up with a few more punches. I quickly pulled up guard up to block them, but I instantly remembered what Stella had told me when I spared with her, and quickly pointed my right foot in the other direction and dropped my center of gravity and lowered my elbow to hit Jeremy's hand which was going for the hole in my guard.

"Ach!" He exclaimed as my elbow made contact with his glove. I took this opportunity to roundhouse kick him, landing a hit right in the stomach guard. "Oh!" Jeremy said as he bent over slightly.

"Point Diaz." The judge announced. Both combatants to your positions again." He said as I slid to my starting point. "Take your guard." Both of us took the same guard, only Jeremy wasn't smiling anymore. "And … begin!" Jeremy rushed in, punches blazing, and I did my best to hold my guard tight; so that he wouldn't be able to land a punch. This however proved to be my undoing, because after a short time I heard the judge make a call. "Point Birnbaum."

"What?" I asked.

"There was a shot at your side." He answered.

I rolled my eyes and got back into my position. "Looks like I'm going to win." Jeremy said with joy.

I grunted and waited for the judge. "Take your guard." Both Jeremy and I took our guard. "And … begin!" Jeremy rushed in once again, but this time I simply threw a kick and hit him right in the solar plexus guard as he was charging. "Point Diaz." The judge said. "Back to positions." Both Jeremy and I stood at position and Jeremy leered. "Bow." I bowed and Jeremy, although reluctant, also bowed. "The winner of this match is Marco Diaz!"

"You win this round Marco, but next time, victory will be mine."

"Whatever you say Jeremy." I replied.

I made my way back to my seat and found that Stella was already there. "So, how'd it go?"

"I won, two to one." I said triumphantly. "I'll admit, it wasn't easy."

"Two nothing." She replied. "And I wasn't going up against some smart mouthed kid."

"Rub it in why don't ya." I said as I looked away.

"Excuse me, but are you by chance Marco Diaz?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. I turned around to see a boy who was probably not much older than me, with short red hair and with a brown belt. "Are you Marco?" He asked again.

"That would be me, who might I ask is asking?"

He offered a hand. "My names Lannister, I'll be paired with you, if you win your next match."

"Really?" I asked. "Well … it's nice to meet you I guess."

He looked at me, strangely. "Oh … this might seem a little strange, me coming to talk to you out of the blue like this, you're friends with Star Butterfly, correct?"

"They're not going to be friends for much longer." Stella added.

"Be quiet Stella." I interrupted. "Yes, I am currently a friend of Star Butterfly."

"Wow." He said as he scratched the back of his head. "I mean … I'm a big fan of Star Butterfly and all … and when I saw that I might be going up against her best friend I just … I couldn't wait, I'm just such a big fan and all and I just wanted to say I'm looking forward to our fight; so don't you dare lose."

"All right then, I'm looking forward to our fight as well." I replied. "You know I could introduce you if-"

"No no no, I couldn't … I mean … I would rather introduce myself so … please don't tell her about me?"

I shrugged. "Sure, I'll let you do that."

"Thanks Marco." He said with a smile. "I'll see you in the next fight."

"Attention all combatants." The announcer began.

"Looks like it's time for the next round." I said.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I had just finished beating up all of Roy's cultists, and all that was left was Roy himself. "My my my, you're stronger than I thought, but then again, that's why we like you."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I asked. "I don't want a cult and Marco isn't really going to kill me."

"You can't always get what you want Star." Roy explained. "But don't worry, we'll make sure you are kept safe."

"I don't want to be safe!" I exclaimed. "I want to see Marco beat the living daylights out of other people in his karate tournament."

"Well we can't have that." Roy explained. "I'll simply keep you here until it's over."

"Fat chance, I've beaten up all your cultists and you have nothing left."

"Don't I?" He asked.

Just then, I heard a portal open behind me. As I turned around, I saw another cultist, with dimensional scissors, who had just opened a portal. "How did you-"

I was interrupted by someone kicking me, causing me to go flying through the portal. I found myself on some island and when I looked back, I saw the portal close. "Shoot." I said as I stood up. "Of all the days to leave my dimensional scissors at home." I froze as a question formed in my mind. "But where did they get dimensional scissors?"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I had just won my match without my opponent scoring a single point; meaning that all I would have to do is beat Lannister, then I would only have two more matches before I won the tournament. "I'm feeling good about this." I said as I began stretching.

"Well don't feel too good." Stella responded. "If you manage to beat Lannister then that's as far as you're going to go."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Look at the board."

I looked at the bracket and saw that the winner of the next match would end up going against the winner of Stella's match. "Well then, I'm just going to have to keep my guard up." I replied.

"That's the spirit." She said as she patted me on the back. "I will look forward to utterly beating you or Lannister."

"The next match is about to begin." The announcer announced. "Will all combatants please proceed to their rings."

"Well, I'll see you in the next match." I said as I walked away.

I made my way to my match with Lannister who had already arrived at the ring. "Marco!" Lannister said with joy. "I'm glad you managed to win your match."

"Was there ever any doubt?" I asked.

"Fair point." He replied.

"Combatants, take your positions." The judge said. Both Lannister and I took our respective spots in the ring. "This is the match between Marco Diaz and Lannister Lexington. Take your guard." I took the same stance I usually take, and Lannister mirrored it. "And … begin!" I stood there slowly inching towards Lannister, when I got close enough I threw a punch but he sidestepped it with ease. I threw another punch at him followed by another, and another; but he just kept sidestepping them without even blocking them. As Lannister continued to dodge my attacks, I tried advancing so that he wouldn't be able to dodge; only for him to sidestep my advance and catch my foot causing me to trip and fall to the floor. "Point Lexington." The judge said.

I got up and walked back to my position as Lannister did the same. "You're fierce, I'll give you that." Lannister said with a smile.

"And … begin!" This time around I was quick to close the distance between us, but Lannister was simply too fast. Just as I threw my punch, he almost disappeared and the next thing I knew I felt a sharp pain in my gut; and Lannister was to my right with his fist in my stomach. "Point Lexington." The judge announced again. We both walked to our spots and faced each other. "The winner of this match is Lannister Lexington."

I reached out my hand and smiled. "Good match." I said.

Lannister smiled then shook my hand. "Indeed, it was amusing."

"Amusing?" I asked.

"Maybe next time you'll manage to get a point on me." He said before walking away.

As I slowly turned around, I felt a sharp pain in my gut which almost caused me to fall over. "Are you all right?" The judge asked.

"I'm fine." I replied. I ignored the pain and walked back to where Stella and I met up between matches.

When I got there, I found she had already arrived. "I see your match didn't go to well." She said with a smile.

"Lannister is extremely fast." I answered. "I didn't expect him to be so fast."

"He's a brown belt." Stella answered. "What did you expect?"

"Right." I answered. "I guess I expected too much of myself."

"Don't worry Marco." She began, as she smiled. "I'll avenge your fall."

I looked away. "Thanks." I said sarcastically. "I feel so much better."

She laughed. "Well then, it's a good thing you have me to look out for you."

Just then, the announcer began speaking again. "Attention all contestants, the semifinals are about to begin, please report to your rings."

"Well, that's my cue." She replied. "I'll see you after the fight."

"See you later." I replied. She walked off leaving me alone. There were only two fights that were supposed to happen right now, no one but the judges were allowed to be too close to the rings; so everyone was standing off to the side or siting a ways away if they haven't left already. The strange thing was, that as I looked at Stella's match, I saw that there wasn't much of a match going on, as a matter of fact, she was actually talking to one of the judges and Lannister was nowhere to be found.

After a short while, she began walking back, a little disappointed. "Turns out that Lannister forfeited."

"Seriously?" I asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe there was an emergency." Stella responded. "It's not like he walked up and quit, he was a no show."

"Hope nothing bad happened to him." I said as I got up. "Well, that just means that all you have to do is win your next match and you've won the whole thing."

"And then I'm off to nationals." She added. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Yeah but it's still an achievement." I responded. "I mean how many people can say they made it to nationals?"

"Not many." She replied. "Oh, by the way, did your butterfly ever show up?"

"What?!" I snapped. "I thought you said you wouldn't call her that again."

"I never said that, I just said it sounded better in my head." She paused. "Well did she show up?"

I turned away slightly. "No … she didn't show."

She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Are you upset about it?"

"Yeah." I retorted.

"Even though she probably has a reason?" She asked.

I shut my eyes tight and turned away. "I'm going to leave early." I said as I began walking. "Tell me how your match goes."

"You're leaving?" She asked.

I stopped then turned around. "I have a good reason that I don't want to talk about." I continued walking.

"You know you could have beaten Lannister." I heard a voice say. I looked around to see where the voice was coming from before I heard it again. "If only you had asked for my help."

"Monster Arm." I said quietly. I looked around to make sure no one was listening, then continued walking. "You know that if I had used your power; then I would have been cheating and I don't cheat."

"I know." He replied. "But you would have won the tournament and had a reason to make Star feel bad about missing it."

"I don't want to make Star feel bad!" I hissed.

"Don't lie to me about your feelings Marco, I'm a part of you, remember? I know you want to get back at Star somehow, for everything she's put you through."

"I-" I paused. Monster Arm wasn't wrong, I was angry at Star for a lot of things she's done lately; but still. "Star is my best friend and … it would be wrong for me to 'get her back' for only missing a karate tournament."

"Then I hope, for both of your sakes, that she doesn't abuse your friendship … again."

"We can only hope." I replied.

* * *

**I'd like to go on record and say that this isn't how my karate tournaments work, in the tournaments I attend there are five judges to see if a hit is a hit and if the number one rule is no contact, the second rule is also no contact … as is the third … and fourth … and … you get the idea. The reason for this (other than not to hurt the other person) is that one must also have control when fighting. For the reasons of the show however, I decided to do it the same way they did it. Now that that's out of the way, let me say that I love what you are all thinking … or I would if I knew what you were thinking so write a review saying what you are thinking so I can know to love what you are thinking.**

**R&amp;R**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, this is the second to last chapter I wrote before the hiatus ended but I did modify a few things (like Janna's name to actually be Janna) before posting it. Now when I say hiatus, I mean this chapter was written before Mewberty premiered, yes, this chapter has been sitting on my computer for that long and it is because of things like what I modified in this chapter … now to get to the reviews and get my motivation back.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well hopefully it won't take me as long to post the next chapter.**

**PFTones3482: That idea did cross my mind at one point but I thought of something better.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I do my best.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting on the island in another dimension, watching as the sun set over the horizon for the fifth time in the last half hour. "This would be so much more romantic if I had someone sitting here with me or, I don't know, any crush at all?" I said as I threw my hands into the air. "I would seriously rather be at Marco's tournament."

"Trust me, it's not as interesting as you might think." I heard someone say, causing me to grab my wand, jump to my feet, and turn around. I saw a boy, maybe the same age as me, with really short brown hair, a black tee shirt and shorts.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Easy." He replied. "I'm not here to fight." He pulled out a pair of dimensional scissors and I lowered my wand.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm here to take you home." He responded.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right, the only people who know I'm here are the cultists; meaning that you have to be one of them or you were sent by them."

The boy nodded. "Yes … I am a member of the cult of Star … but I am really here to take you home."

I pointed my wand at him again. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you don't have some ulterior motive?"

He sighed. "I didn't expect you to trust me … Lannister was way too aggressive, and Roy didn't help much either."

I lowered my wand, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to know that I was against this direct approach, and more for a friendlier approach; but I was outvoted."

My eyes opened wide. "Wait … you're one of the leaders?"

He nodded. "My name's Mathew. I am one of the higher ups of the cult of Star."

"Meaning that I shouldn't trust you!" I spat.

"Please understand." He began. "Not all of us think the same way; Roy thinks force is the key, while Lannister has a more … tactical approach."

"And you?" I asked.

He smiled. "I want to do this peacefully, become friends along the way ... hopefully."

"Do you even understand what you're asking?" I asked. "You're a cult!"

"Does that make us evil?" He asked. "Sure, Roy is way over the top and Lannister can't be trusted to watch a glass of water, but remember who you are."

"I'm just a normal girl trying to hang out with her best friend."

Mathew laughed. "No, you're Star Butterfly. You're magic. You're a princess, and you're from another dimension. You are nothing close to normal by earth's standards." I lowered my wand a little. "Are you even normal by Mewni's standards? I mean you're pretty high up on the royal food chain, all the way at the top from what I've heard." He walked closer to me. "You're special, no matter how you look at it, now do you see where we're coming from with this whole cult thing?"

I sighed and bit my lower lip. "Fine, maybe you could be nice. That doesn't automatically mean that you are nice; when I already know that there are members of your cult who attacked me."

He smiled. "Well that's progress … I think." He handed me the dimensional scissors. "If you don't trust me to bring you home, let me trust you to bring me home."

I looked at him, confused. "You're … just going to let me go?"

"I want you to trust me Star, I want to be on your side and I want to convince Lannister and Roy that the nice way is best." He bowed slightly. "And if I want you to trust me, then I must show you that I trust you."

I sighed then slowly took the scissors. "I still don't trust you … yet … but I want to … I really want to believe I can trust you."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that Star." He said with a smile. "You won't regret this."

"What are Lannister and Roy up to?" I asked. "I mean, if you're one of the leaders; you should know, right?"

He shook his head. "Sadly, no, I don't know what they're up to. Lannister is manipulative and cunning, and he knows my weakness; and would never trust me with any information unless he was okay with everyone knowing. As for Roy, well … he doesn't plan much at all, his own men didn't even know about the attack until just a few minutes prior." He sighed. "All I can do is try to sway them to my side, it's won't be easy; but I will do my best with the few that follow me."

I smiled. "Thanks Mathew … I hope we end up being friends." I opened a portal back to earth and stepped back and let Mathew go first.

"Why thank you." He said as he walked through. I followed him through and then the portal closed behind us.

"I hope to see you again soon." I said as I handed back the dimensional scissors.

"As do I." He responded.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"Hello?" I shouted as I walked into my house.

"Ah, Marco." My mom replied as she walked out of the kitchen. "How did the tournament go?"

"I lost." I said as I put my karate bag down. "I made it to the quarter finals though."

"Oh, I wish we could have been there." She began. "Next time Marco, next time we'll be there and you'll win the whole thing."

"Thanks' mom." I replied. "Any idea where Star is?"

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Wasn't she at the tournament with you?"

I shook my head. "No, she didn't show up, I figured that she might have forgotten or something."

"Well she hasn't come home since I got home." She responded. "If she's not home now then she's probably not going to be home for the rest of the night."

"Say what?" I asked.

"Star said that she had to do something tonight and won't be home."

"Did she say what it was?" I asked.

"She's going to some slumber party or something." My mom answered. "Check her room, maybe she's there."

"All right." I said, as I walked upstairs. Star's door was unlocked, like it usually is, and the room empty like I expected. "Guess she was too busy for me." I sighed and closed the door. "And here I was thinking that we were getting past our issues." I walked back to my room and just as I was about to open the door, my phone began to ring. I pulled it out and recognized the number as Marcus'. "Hello?" I said as I answered.

"Hey Marco." Marcus replied. "Is Star there? I wanted to talk to her."

"She left for a slumber party that she didn't tell me about." I answered.

There was a brief pause before Marcus replied. "Are you surprised that she didn't tell you? I mean those things are usually girls only … actually I think their exclusively girls only."

"Fair point." I muttered. "What were you calling about anyway?"

"I wanted to know if Star wanted to see my new fireworks." Marcus answered. "But seeing as she's not there, I … actually, do you know if the others are free tonight?"

"Others?" I asked.

"Alfonzo and Ferguson." Marcus replied. "And if you know anyone else."

"They're free." I answered. "As for others … Stella might be interested."

"Sweet, you guys up for a fireworks show?"

"Why not? I would like to take it easy after today anyway."

"Cool. Think you can all meet me at the fireworks field in an hour and a half?"

I looked at my watch. "That's six thirty, right?"

"Yeah."

"All right, I'll tell Alfonzo and Ferguson, see if Stella is up for it, and then meet you there."

"Cool, see you then." He said before he hung up.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Short time later)

It was already too late when I got out of the other dimension, meaning that I probably missed Marco's tournament. What's worse, is that I wouldn't be able to tell him why I missed it, because I didn't want him to worry about the cult. "Maybe I'll tell him after this mess is dealt with." I said as I made my way to Jackie's. "It would be best if Marco didn't get involved with this." I sighed as I reached the address.

I walked up to the door and got took a deep breath. "Well here I go." I knocked on the door.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

Alfonzo, Ferguson, and I had made it to the fireworks field, a little early, and ended up wandering area. "What do you think he has planned?" Alfonzo asked.

"No idea." Ferguson responded. "I'm just here because I have nothing better to do." He paused. "Oh, by the way Marco, did you get a chance to confirm what his burn scar looks like?"

I looked away. "No, I didn't get a look at it because I didn't ask him to take off his shirt." I lied. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I want to know if the stories are true." He answered. "I heard someone say it looks like a skull, and another said that it looks like a pentagram."

"Really?" I asked. "I don't think it would have a form to it if it's a burn mark."

"Actually it looks vaguely like a human torso." I heard someone say as they approached. I looked over to see Marcus walking over to us with his tablet in his hands. "Now are we going to talk about my scars or are we going to watch some fireworks?"

"Oh, fireworks!" Ferguson shouted as he got up and ran past Marcus.

"He's very eager for someone who came because he had nothing better to do." I said as I laughed.

"What can I say?" Marcus asked. "People love it when I paint the sky."

"Interesting choice of words." Alfonzo said as he got up and followed Ferguson.

I also followed, but Marcus stopped me before I got far. "Thank you … for not telling anyone … I owe you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" I responded. "We don't owe each other anything … except for those times money is involved and one of us spots the other."

He let out a small laugh. "Yeah … I guess that's true." We both walked out to see Alfonzo and Ferguson waiting for us.

"So where are we going to be sitting exactly?" Ferguson asked.

"Up there." Marcus said as he pointed to a hill not too far away. "It's where I've taken all my other viewers."

"You've had other viewers?" Alfonzo asked.

"Just Star." Marcus replied. "But I took her to that hill to watch."

It didn't take long to reach the top of the hill. When we arrived, Ferguson immediately sat down, and Alfonzo walked over to a small mound of dirt and took a seat. I followed and took a seat somewhere between them and Marcus sat next to me in the space available. "All right." Marcus began as he pressed a few buttons. "Let the show … begin."

At that moment, streams of light flew into the sky, exploding into various colors and shapes.

"Wow." We all said simultaneously.

* * *

(Star's POV)

The party was in full swing; we had recently finished watching the first movie and had begun painting each other's nails. Aside from Jackie and myself there were about five other girls present.

"I still can't believe that people thought you and Justin were going out." A black haired girl said, as Jackie painted her nails.

"People see us holding hands one time and suddenly they jump to conclusions." Jackie replied. "Just goes to show you that you need to make sure that your hand doesn't have any quick drying glue on it, before accepting a hand from someone."

"But still, you and Justin? Who would believe a thing like that?" Chantelle added.

"Well Marco did, apparently, and from what I heard he was really down about it." Janna replied, as she sat to the side.

Jackie paused and looked over at me. "Oh yeah, Star did you ever manage to tell Marco otherwise?"

I froze as Sabrina was trying to paint stars on my nails. "Oh … I knew I forgot to tell Marco something." I lied.

Jackie looked at me for a moment, before laughing. "Are you trying to keep Marco's eyes off me and focused on you?" She asked.

"What?" I asked, my voice sounding a little shaky. "Why would he-"

"Everyone knows about Marco's crush on Jackie, Star." Andrea pointed out. "Not to mention that you probably don't have anything to worry about. Jackie doesn't even like Marco."

"I never actually said I don't like him." Jackie replied. "I'm just not looking for a boyfriend at the moment."

"Well you still have nothing to worry about." Andrea added.

"What about Marco's new foreign exchange student?" Jackie asked. "From what you told me, they are already an item."

"Actually not so much." I began. "Marco told me that they aren't as close as they used to be."

"So Marco's available?" Janna asked, slightly hopeful.

"Really?" Jackie asked as she looked at her. "I thought you already had a boyfriend."

Janna crossed her arms and looked away. "He dumped me because I 'wasn't '_feminine enough_'.'" She hissed.

"Oh!" Sabrina exclaimed. "That boy has got a thing or two coming."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

We were watching as Marcus's fireworks were going off one after another. "You know, it's too bad you had to open with this." Ferguson said as he watched.

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked.

"When you showed this to Star." He clarified. "If you had waited till later, then you would have been able to seal the deal with her no problem."

"Wha?" Marcus asked, gob smacked. "Star … I don't … I mean don't get me wrong, I do think she's great and all, but … it's … well …" He looked over to me. "Marco, you have feelings for her, don't you?"

"I never said that." I responded.

"Yes, you just keep giving us vague answers while trying to avoid the subject all together; that totally isn't suspicious at all." Ferguson said softly.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I explained myself rather clearly." I defended.

"All you've ever said about it was that you don't know what kind of answer that is?"

I was about to retort when Marcus interrupted me. "Enough!" He shouted. "If Marco has things that he doesn't want to talk about, then it's not our place to force him to talk."

Ferguson looked at Marcus before pouting. "Fine, I guess everyone is entitled to their secrets."

I thought about what Ferguson said before I finally spoke. "I found out that Star lied to me." I confessed.

Everyone turned to look at me, surprised. "Say what?" Marcus asked.

"Can Star even lie to you?" Ferguson asked.

"What did she lie about?" Alfonzo asked.

I sighed. "You remember … two days ago when she said that Jackie told her that she was dating Justin?"

"Honestly I didn't believe that." Marcus commented.

"So Star got some of her facts wrong, big deal." Alfonzo added.

I shut my eyes tight as a tear almost escaped, and shook my head. "There's more to it than that." I said meekly. "Star did in fact talk to Jackie about two weeks ago … but Jackie herself said that she told Star to tell me that she wasn't dating Justin."

Everyone paused as the fireworks finale began. "So … Star knew that Jackie wasn't dating Justin and was told to tell you that … but waited two weeks and told you the exact opposite?" Marcus asked.

I nodded as the tear escaped. "I … I'm not even sure what to make of it."

"I'm not sure what to make of this whole situation." Ferguson added. "I mean she lied to you, and that's wrong, but why cry over it?"

"Because Star knows how much I like Jackie!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms into the air. "She knows how much I like Jackie and she not only waited two weeks, but straight up lied to my face when I had already found out that she was supposed to tell me that Jackie wasn't dating Justin." I let my arms fall as I looked away. "She even had the nerve to openly lie to my face again."

"What happened?" Alfonzo asked.

I hugged my knees and looked away. "She said … she promised me … that she would be at my karate tournament … she said that she would be there before the first round and she didn't arrive at all."

"So she got caught up with something." Ferguson began. "These things happen."

"So she just leaves for her slumber party before even explaining anything?" I asked.

"Is that where she is?" Marcus asked.

* * *

(Star's POV)

"All right Janna, pick one." Andrea began. "Truth or dare?"

Janna thought carefully before answering. "Um … dare."

"I dare you to call up your worthless ex-boyfriend and tell him off."

Janna's eyes went wide for a moment, then she pulled out her cell and dialed his number. As the phone rang she pressed another button and put it on the ground. "Hello?" A voice replied from the phone.

"Hi Sean." Janna replied.

"Oh, hey Janna." Sean answered. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a call from the girl I just dumped?"

I felt the urge to hunt down this guy and kill him the more he spoke. "Well I just wanted to tell you that there's no hard feelings and that you are a *BEEP*ing *BEEP* whole who *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* and you are a complete *BEEP* *BEEP* with a degree in *BEEP* off and *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* and you will never find another girlfriend as long as you live!" She grabbed her phone, hit the end button and proceeded to block his number. "I needed that."

"What was with that beeping sound?" I asked.

"Censorship." Jackie replied. "This fic is only rated T so we can't allow curse words to get through. Anyway, it's your turn Star."

"Hm …" I began. I figured that if I were to make this interesting, then I should start off with something easy so that I could blow everyone away later. "I'm going to go with … truth."

"Have you ever killed someone?" Sabrina asked.

"We don't ask questions like that Sabrina." Jackie interrupted. "Remember, nothing that can be used in a court of law."

"Oh right." Sabrina responded.

"I have one." Janna began. "Star Butterfly … do you … like … Marco Diaz?"

"Really?" I asked, feeling a little let down. "He's my best friend, of course I like him."

"Not what she meant Star." Jackie replied. "She means are you in love with him."

My eyes widened as I realized the impact of the question. "Oh." I replied. "Now that is a good question … can I answer the previous one that was asked?"

Everyone shook their heads.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"She barely has time for me anymore." I began. "I thought we were past the whole, her attacking me thing, but apparently we just replaced it with something else."

"I'm sure you two will work through it." Alfonzo replied.

"Yeah right." I said as I looked away.

* * *

(Star's POV)

"So … am I in love with Marco … well …" I was about to say no, but then began thinking of all the past experiences we had. Marco has always had my back with almost everything we went through, he's nice, supportive, always willing to help when I need it, and he's always looked out for me.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"Maybe … maybe Stella was right." I began. "I mean it feels like things are getting rougher and rougher between Star and I."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I sighed and took a deep breath. All the times I've felt concerned about him recently, all the times I felt empty when he wasn't there, all the times I was jealous when he was hanging out with Stella instead of me, and why I lied to him about Jackie.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I sighed as I hugged my knees once more. "Maybe … maybe Star and I … maybe she doesn't want to be my friend anymore." I said as a tear escaped.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I took one final deep breath before answering. "I … I do kinda love him."

* * *

**And now for my final thought of the day … which is what I would say if I wasn't about to eat something then try and get my blood flowing. See you all tomorrow … wait … why did I say that?**

**R&amp;R**


	22. Chapter 22

**Three chapters in one week, I must be on a role. Now this is the last chapter I wrote before Mewberty in case anyone cares but seeing as they don't and I'm going to be late for work soon, let's just get to the reviews.**

**Rainbowlaserparty: Well I'm glad you like it.**

**H. Mae: I always love your reviews but did you read chapter 20? I ask because you didn't review for that and there is something important in that chapter that you might want to know about. Also I can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out about … him/her.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: You'll find out about if she won in a few chapters.**

**twin4444: Well the next chapter be acoming right now.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: I don't know what to think of that song but thank you for adding my story to the community.**

**MarionetteJ2X: The devotion of some readers is amazing, I remember a time when I read that many chapters when I came late to a story.**

**Shelton: I'm going to write a story with that tittle.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I sat there, depressed, as the finale came to a close. Everyone was looking at me, probably trying to find out what to say. "Are you Marco Diaz?" someone asked.

"Not the response I was expecting." I responded.

"Wasn't any of us." Alfonzo replied.

"I said, are you Marco Diaz?" The voice said, as it got closer.

I got up and looked around and saw someone in a white cloak standing behind us. "Who wants to know?" I asked.

"You have friends with you?" He asked as he looked at everyone else. "I suppose we should have suspected as much from the spectacle we just saw."

The others got up, and looked at him as well. "Who are you?" Ferguson asked.

"That's not important right now, you all will have to come with me."

"And why should we do that?" I asked.

"Because the more of you we have, the better the chances that our plan will work."

"Seriously?" I asked. "What I meant was why should we go with you at all?"

"Marco!" Marcus said, as he looked behind us. I turned around to see that there were others in white cloaks, and as I looked around, I saw even more.

"We're surrounded." I said, annoyed.

"Very perceptive Marco." The figure said with a smile. "Now, are you going to come with us willingly? Or is this going to get hard?"

I was about to reply but Ferguson stepped in front of me. "You must be new around these parts, Marco and Marcus here are extremely adept at fighting monsters, what makes you think a handful of regular humans can take us?"

"Ferguson!" Marcus hissed as he pulled him back. "I just used up nearly all my remaining fireworks with that show."

"Why didn't you bring extra?!" Ferguson replied.

"How was I supposed to know that we would be fighting a bunch of hooded figures?!"

"Who are you guys?" I demanded. "And you still haven't told us what you want with us!"

"I really don't see why you need to know, but I suppose, if it makes things easier." The other cloaked figures got closer. "We are the cult of Star, and we are here to kidnap you; to use as leverage to get to Star Butterfly."

We all quickly stood back to back. "I don't know if I feel better or worse." Marcus said, nervously.

"Worse." I answered. "Definitely worse."

"So we're going to do this the hard way then?" The leader asked. "Very well, take them all."

They began to advance, as I took a fighting stance. Marcus pulled out his lighters, Alfonzo began taking a few steps back, and Ferguson held his hands in a makeshift guard like something you see on T.V. "You want a piece of this?" Ferguson asked. "You want me to release the beast? You want me to unleash the fury?"

"Can you please shut up?" Marcus asked.

"What? I'm psyching them out."

Marcus rolled his eyes as he pulled out a sparkler.

"Get them!" The figure exclaimed causing the cultists to charge.

I quickly grabbed one as he was about to tackle me, and threw him into the guy charging Marcus. "Thanks Marco." Marcus replied as he lit his sparkler and pointed it at the cultists. All the cultists in front of him stopped charging, and took a few steps back. I took this opportunity to hit another. "Well that was unexpected."

I kicked another cultist, causing him to stammer a little before I kicked him again. Two more came charging, so I elbowed one and tried to punch the second but as I threw my punch, he caught it and twisted my arm into an arm bar. "ARG!" I screamed as he restrained me. As I was restrained, I saw Ferguson on the ground with a cultist sitting on him, and Alfonzo and Marcus standing back to back holding out sparklers.

"I wish I had a Roman candle right about now." Marcus stated.

"I wish we had Star right about now." Ferguson added.

I twisted out of the arm bar, and punched the guy who was holding me in the chest; causing him to fall to the ground. Almost immediately, another guy grabbed me in a headlock and tried to choke me. I twisted my head, so I could breathe, and jammed my thumbs into the back of his knee sending him stammering. Before I could catch my breath however, another guy threw a punch at me; which I parried and followed up with a roundhouse kick to the chest. "How many of these guys are there?" I asked as I took down another.

"I don't know, but I'm running out of sparklers." Marcus responded.

"Marco!" I heard Monster arm shout, causing me to almost miss the cultist trying to grab my throat. I kicked the cultist in the stomach before he could get his hands on me, then turned my attention to another one.

"Is now the best time?" I asked under my breath as I took down another.

"Please, you need my help, you just have to let me, and you can win!"

I kicked another cultist before replying. "Everyone else is here though, and they'll see."

"No they won't!" Monster arm replied; as two cultists restrained my arms. "Remember, I won't manifest, I can just give you strength, speed, and focus without showing my physical form."

I looked over to Marcus and Alfonzo, who were back to back, almost terrified. "Marco, please tell me you have a plan!" Marcus shouted.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I have no choice now." I said to myself. "Go on then, do it."

"That's all I needed to hear." I felt my body begin to pulse as I felt something strange course through me. Time seemed to slow down, slightly, and my breathing became easier. "Now let's do this." I stuck my feet behind the backs of the cultists that were holding me ... and then, using only my forearms, flipped them onto their backs. As another cultist charged and threw a punch, I grabbed his arm and threw him into another cultist, that was trying to get me. More began charging; causing me to smile. I kicked one, then elbowed another, kicked one in the face, landed a spinning back kick to one trying to get me in a bear hug ... and tossed another to the ground. "Anyone else?" I asked.

The remaining cultists were hesitant to attack me until their leader shouted at them. "Get him you fools!"

They all charged me, and I began taking them all down with a fluid motion of punches, kicks and throws. When half of them were taken down the reaming began to run. "Grab the fool!" The leader shouted. One of the cultists hoisted Ferguson over their shoulder and tried to run away, but only made it two steps before collapsing under Ferguson's weight.

Before long they had all run off, leaving us and the one Ferguson was on top of. "Ugh, what happened?" Ferguson asked as he got to his feet.

"We were attacked by cultists." Marcus replied. "And it's a good thing you were able to fight them off Marco, that was my last sparkler." Marcus said as he threw his sparkler to the ground.

"Hey, I got one!" Ferguson exclaimed as he pointed to the one he fell on.

"Don't move, Ferguson." I said as I walked over to him. "I'd like a few words with that cultist."

"Up here?" Marcus asked. "They may come back, and with greater numbers."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, we'll take him down to the entrance and interrogate him there." I walked over and hoisted the cultist, who had apparently fallen unconscious, over my shoulder and began carrying him.

"I can't believe you were able to take down all those cultists Marco." Alfonzo exclaimed. "You were out of this world."

"You've definitely gotten better from when you fought with Fungus Armungious." Marcus added.

"I've been practicing … hard." I said as I avoided eye contact.

When we arrived at the building, we made our way to the waiting room and set the cultist down on a chair. Thankfully the place was empty, so no one would be bothering us. "Let's see who's under the hood." I said as I reached out. I was caught off guard when I flipped over the hood off the cultist, to reveal a girl with long blond hair who was probably a few years younger than us.

"Well I didn't see that coming." Marcus stated.

She began waking up and opened her eyes, only to instantly jump at the sight of us. "No." She said as she tried to back up, only to realize that she was flanked by Alfonzo and Ferguson. "You can't … you didn't."

I regained my composure and began interrogating her. "Look, I have a few questions, you're going to answer them, then you go home and we pretend this never happened."

"And if I refuse?" She asked.

"You're trespassing on private property." Marcus began. "This is a testing field and you're not allowed to be here without a professional."

"Does that answer your question?" I asked.

She looked at Macus, then nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ferguson asked immediately.

"She's a member of the cult of Star and she was here to kidnap us." Marcus answered. "Her leader told us as much when they first appeared." He looked over to the girl. "I have a better question, why attack now? Why not wait 'till one of us was alone? Or walking to or from school?"

"We wanted the element of surprise." She answered. "We tried catching Star twice now, and figured that this was going to be our last opportunity to get you guys; before Star informed you of us."

"Say what?" I exclaimed. "What do you mean you went after Star twice? When was this?"

"Yesterday and this morning." She answered.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "When yesterday?" I demanded.

"Shortly after school, from what I heard she managed to escape, we ended up looking for her for hours. This morning, we managed to trap her in another dimension; so we could have the opportunity to get the drop on you."

"STAR IS TRAPPED IN ANOTHER DIMENSION!" I exclaimed.

"No, we let her out a while ago. It was just to keep her from telling you about us."

"That explains why she wasn't at your tournament." Marcus added.

I turned and walked a short distance. "This still doesn't make sense." I began. "I talked to Star yesterday when she got home, and earlier today before she left; she never mentioned anything about cultists."

"Then this cultist is lying." Ferguson said as he leered at her.

"Star was late getting in yesterday … I had to go sign up for the tournament and she still got in after me." I froze. "Did Star keep this from me?"

"Really?" Marcus asked rhetorically. "Dangerous cultists attack and she doesn't see the need to warn us that we might have to worry about it?"

"Maybe she wanted to keep all the fun to herself." Ferguson said as he crossed his arms.

"Ferguson!" I exclaimed as I turned to him. "I …" I froze as I thought about exactly what he said. "A princess from another dimension, who loves fighting more than anything else; and she realizes that she has a cult that she has to fend off … that actually sounds plausible now that I think about it."

There was a moment of silence as Marcus examined the cloak. "Well this explains why they were all running." He began. "This will burst into flames if it gets too close to an old heater. Did no one ever warn you about fire safety?"

"It's not our call." She responded. "They were given to us, and we were told not to let anyone see our faces."

"Where did you learn to fight?" I asked.

"Nowhere." She answered.

"Don't lie to me, I know when someone is just mimicking what they see in the movies and when they are actually trained." I said, as I glanced at Ferguson.

She looked away. "I … I was trained by my leader … Roy … he offers some training to all who serve under him."

"Roy?" I asked. "Are there any others?"

"I don't know their names, but there's two others, aside from Roy … and … there is … supposedly one at the top … but I've never seen his face or heard anything about him."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "All right … that's enough for now."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah … you can go."

"Marco!" Marcus exclaimed. "Are you sure that's a smart move? What if she goes and reports what happened?"

"You mean that she got captured and gave us information?" I asked. "What do you think would happen to her?"

Marcus looked at her, then back at me. "Fair point." He walked to the wall and the cultist stood up.

As she began walking, I placed a hand on her shoulder. "One … final question … what dimension was Star sent to?"

"Some island from what I heard." She replied. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." I began. "Leave the cult … it's not going to be a safe place to be anymore."

She began to look worried, before she pulled her cloak off and handed it to me. "Here, just … let me say hi to Star from time to time?"

"I'm not stopping you." I said as I took the cloak from her. "So long as you're not with them."

"Thank you." She replied. She walked out the door and I turned to everyone else.

"So what do we do?" Alfonzo asked. "Should we try to contact Star and tell her that-"

"They're dealt with, for tonight." I interrupted. "There's no need to tell her."

"But they're not gone for good." Ferguson replied. "We should bring in the big guns, and teach them a lesson."

"She put us in danger by intentionally not telling us about the cult." I replied. "I'm not sure I trust her anymore."

"That's irrelevant." Ferguson retorted. "Look, you saw what they did; we need all the help we can get."

"As long as Marcus is prepared, then we should be fine." I answered. "And even then, I can handle a handful of them, you two don't need to put yourselves in danger."

Ferguson looked unhappy. "I think we should still tell-"

"I trust Marco." Marcus interrupted. "Star doesn't take fighting seriously at all, and this cult seems serious."

"Not to mention that she has her own things to sort out." I added.

"I don't think bringing Star to the front line is a good idea." Alfonzo stated, causing all of us to turn our attention to him. "These guys are after Star right? Then wouldn't it be a bad idea to bring her right to them."

"Ugh, fine." Ferguson surrendered. "But I reserve the right to say that this was a bad idea."

* * *

**Alright then, it's time for me to go to work so I will post this chapter and be on my phone checking for reviews for I don't know how long. Oh, and one last thing, if you like my story then you should check out the community titled 'Starco!'created by 'korra-naga-mako lover 2112' I'd go into it but I will be late if I wait another second.**

**R&amp;R**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, so I would like to say that this chapter was the first one that was written after the hiatuses ended. Yes, that's how far behind I am and that's why I'm going to post a chapter EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. I was supposed to do one yesterday but … things got … complicated. Now to get to the reviews because I need to get to work really soon.**

**H. Mae: Well if I told you that I'm trying to inspire art work then that would be cheating so I'm not going to tell you that.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: It would be that simple but … Things are never that simple.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: He may never trust her again.**

**Shelton: True … but there's more at work here in case you forgot.**

**AyokoNiles: Thank you.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I made it back home without any real problems. I did however have to make sure that everyone else made it home safely, so it was late when I got home; and all I wanted to do was fall unconscious on my bed. "Awe man, tonight was brutal." I said as I walked into my room. I walked over to my bed and just collapsed. "I'm just going to sleep here for a while and take a shower in the morning."

"Do you really think not telling Star about the cultists is a good idea?" Monster Arm asked.

"I don't need her help." I replied. "And without her, I would need your help so why are you trying to convince me otherwise?"

"I'm not talking about fighting." Monster Arm responded. "I'm talking about telling the truth; you're upset with Star because she's been lying to you. Now you want to keep something from her. Don't you see the irony here?"

"Well, I'm keeping this from her because she lied to me, and I don't want to talk to her." I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep.

"You don't hate Star enough for that."

I opened an eye and leered. "Excuse me?"

"You're upset, angry, vindictive, but I can tell, you don't despise her,; in fact, I don't sense much hate for Star in your heart at all. If I didn't know better-"

"Well you don't" I interrupted as I turned over. "I don't love Star Butterfly, I will never love Star Butterfly."

"What's the point in lying to me?" He asked. "I know how you feel, I know how devastated you were when you thought you would never see Star again after she went through Mewberty; and how happy you were when she was safe."

"That was a long time ago." I retorted.

"Then why did you feel the same when you heard about her being trapped in another dimension?"

I didn't have a response. It was true, I was worried that I would never see Star again and I wanted so badly to beat Star's location out of the cultist and save her, regardless that she lied to me. Monster Arm was right, I still thought of Star as my friend and I would do anything in my power to save her. That, however, didn't mean that I wasn't mad at her. "Fine, let's assume, for argument's sake, that your right. I still want to keep Star as far away from this as possible; why is that?"

"Because you want to protect her, Marco. You know that as long as Star thinks you're ignorant about the cult she will want to keep it that way, and do everything in her power to avoided the cult while you're around; leaving you free to deal with them so long as she doesn't find out that you are dealing with them."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Let me go to sleep, Monster Arm."

"As you wish." Monster Arm replied. "I will wait for when next time you require my assistance."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

I awoke the following morning to the sound of my alarm blaring. "I wish I had turned that off." I said as I scraped myself out of bed. When I finally managed to get up, I made my way to the other side of the room and turned off the alarm. "And I shouldn't have placed it on the opposite side of the room either."

I looked at the clock to confirm that it was seven AM. "Man it's early … but I'm already up, so I might as well stay up." I walked over to my door and made my way to Star's room. I raised a hand, about to knock, when I froze. "No." I said to myself as I shook my head. "She's not even home, what's the point?" I turned around and headed to the bathroom. "She lied to me, she hurt my feelings, she put me in danger, and I have to remember that."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A short time later)

I was walking home from Jackie's, after a very interesting night. Everyone had gotten a lot of mileage out of my confession, but I was grateful that what happens at slumber parties stays at slumber parties. I had a feeling that Janna might be a bit upset with me for some reason, but that's probably nothing that I have to worry about.

As I walked, I couldn't help but think about what I had realized last night. I had actual feelings for Marco, more than just a friendship, and I hadn't realized it until last night. It was definitely something that took me by surprise and something that I had to think about, and would, when I got back home and taken a nice long shower. When I finally arrived home and opened the front door, what I found caused my heart rate to instantly skyrocket. "Marco!" I exclaimed. He was standing in the doorway, presumably about to leave, with an annoyed look on his face. "Wow, I … didn't expect to catch you leaving."

"Save it." He spat as he walked past me.

"I'm sorry?" I asked as I turned to watch him walk away.

He didn't turn around, or stop to address me as he spoke. "I'm not in the mood to talk to you, I have other things that I have other plans."

I felt a little heartbroken, but it's what I expected after missing his karate tournament, after promising to be there. I figured that a little alone time would help him calm down and I could try and explain myself later, but for now, I really wanted that shower.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A lot later)

I was in my room, avoiding sorting out my feelings about Marco. I started going through my magic spell book, once again, looking for a spell that would assist in fighting humans seeing as the last thing I want to do is send a human to the hospital. "Why must this be so hard?" I asked as I flipped through the pages only to once again come to the spell that forces one to tell the truth. "And where did Glossaryck disappear to?"

Just then, the pages started to turn rapidly and the blue embodiment of the book appeared before me. "Did you call, M'lady?"

"Where have you been!" I demanded. "I was looking through the book for days and you haven't appeared once when I was stumped, or even when I called for you!" I slammed my hands on the bed. "And why is it that every time I turn a page, then turn it back, it isn't showing the same thing it did before?"

"Or sorry about that." Glossaryck replied. "I set the book to automatic while I was away, so that any time you needed something it would instantly go to the spell or information you needed. As for where I was, I went to the annual pudding festival; which lasted longer than expected. Didn't you see my note?"

I tilted my head a little confused. "What note?"

"I left it on the front page." Glossaryck responded.

"You mean you left it on the front page, and then set the book so that I couldn't even get to the front page?" I asked, annoyed.

"Oh, that might have been a bad idea on my part." Glossaryck confessed. "You have my apologies, next time I go I will be sure to tell you in person."

"I'll believe it when I see it." I said as I placed my hands on my hips. "Another question, if you set this book to show me whatever spell I needed, then why is it showing me spells that force people to tell the truth, and courting information?"

Glossaryck looked at the page I was on for a moment before answering. "Well it appears that the automatic setting still has a bit of irony to it."

"Say what?"

He turned to me, smiling. "By any chance are you keeping anything from someone you're in love with?"

I looked at him, annoyed. "Really? Now my spell book is being condescending?"

"Oh, so Star Butterfly does have a boyfriend." Glossaryck joked, as he floated towards me. "So what's his name?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." I said as I pushed him away. "I do have recently discovered feelings for a boy, who is a really close friend, who I've lied to because, at the time, I didn't fully understand what I was feeling."

"So then the book is telling you to tell this boy the truth." Glossaryck explained.

"I got that part." I said as I rolled my eyes. "But I can't tell him the truth."

"Explain." He said as he floated down to sit on the book.

"Well, when I found out that the girl he has a crush on isn't really dating someone else, and that it was simply a misunderstanding. I didn't tell him and even went so far as to tell him that she was dating the boy that he thought she was dating when she really wasn't."

"Has he found out?"

"I don't … think so?"

Glossaryck thought to himself. "How long has it been since you found out, and lied about it?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, about … a little more than four weeks since I found out, and a little less than two weeks since I lied to him."

"How popular is this girl?"

I shrugged. "Somewhere between the first and third most popular in the school?"

"And you still haven't told him?" I shook my head. "Then you, my princess, are in some big trouble. If he finds out, then he's going to be furious, especially if you're one of the girls who's higher on that list."

I rested my chin on the desk. "Then what do I do? If I tell him, and somehow he's not mad, then he will be back to fawning over her. Yet, if I don't tell him, then he will be furious with me if he ever finds out."

"You should tell him everything, and if he does love you, then he will stay with you. If not, then he's not worth it."

I looked to the side. "And if he doesn't, then it will make things awkward for me to even stay at his house."

"Well if things do go south, then just tell that Marco fella that your friends with, and I'm sure he'll think of something to up your mood."

I looked at him, annoyed. "Please tell me that you have some other advice, because that option isn't going to be viable."

"And why's that princess?"

"Because Marco Diaz is the boy who I'm in love with." I said in a condescending tone.

Glossaryck looked at me, surprised. "You mean the guy who's house you're staying at, who wanted nothing more than to help you when you were going through Mewberty, and who you say is your best friend on earth? You not only fell in love with him, but you lied to him so he wouldn't go off with another girl?" I closed my eyes and nodded. "Princess, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to kick you out of the house after finding out what you've done."

"I know." I replied weakly.

"If you want to keep your friendship, at the very least, then you have to come clean with the truth. Maybe not the whole being in love with him, since you live under the same roof. But you should still tell him right away." Glossaryck paused. "And if this did somehow miraculously work out, then what do you plan to do when you have to move back to Mewnie?"

I looked to the floor with a sigh. "I'd really rather not think of that right now."

"You must, if you want to worry about dating and whatnot. You know that, regardless of who is in charge and anything else, a princess can only marry-"

"A prince or a knight if he has been approved by the king and queen, I know."

"And is Marco either of those?"

I shook my head, while lying on the desk.

"So you should tell Marco the truth, and be happy for him."

I sighed and lifted my head. "Maybe I should, but there are more important things to deal with right now."

"Star, this is a very important matter, and requires your immediate attention!" Glossaryck exclaimed.

"I inspired a cult that wants to kidnap and worship me; they could be anyone in the school." I replied plainly.

Glossaryck paused. "Star, this cult is serious business, and for the time being, you should put off dealing with Marco until it's resolved."

* * *

**No time for an end note if I want breakfast.**

**R&amp;R**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, so I would like to say that this chapter was the first one that was written after the hiatuses ended. Yes, that means that this chapter has been sitting on my computer for who knows how long. Now for some other news, I bet you all thought that I forgot about you, well I didn't, I just uploaded this chapter a little later then I thought I would. Now for the reviews so I can get to the next chapter I've been working on so that I can get it to all of you before time runs out.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well, I haven't written that chapter yet (and I've written a few chapters.) but I see myself writing it tonight or tomorrow … then again, I might be nearly done with the story and have that be the last chapter.**

**korra-naga-mako lover 2112: Thank you and I will.**

**Steel Razer: I do hope that Monster Arm reappears, but it has to be on Marco, otherwise it isn't as cool.**

**Guest: Thank you.**

**Laura o mine: I know it is.**

**Guest: You don't read many of my stories do you? I once wrote a story that was supposed to be ten chapters and it ended up being 52 chapters instead.**

**Guest: Really? Because I feel like I've done this before with the exact same formula.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: That … was a happy accident.**

**H. Mae: It always gets worse my friend, and I've decided that just because you asked for it, I'm going to add in a Starcus moment that will make everyone cry sweet nourishing tears on supper sadness.**

**Guest, Lillian, and Please add her: Although I do support people making OC's, I don't use other peoples OC's because it opens a whole can of worms that I really don't want to deal with unless the OC is absolutely necessary.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

All of us who had agreed to take down the cultist met up at school, before the first bell rang. We were at one of the less crowded wings of the school, where no one would go to unless they had the unfortunate luck to have a locker there. "So, what have we found out about the cult of Star?" I asked.

"Not much." Ferguson answered. "We know that they want to capture Star, and will do whatever it takes to get her; but other than that, nothing."

"Which is why we need to find out more." I responded. "Any ideas on how to do that?"

"Janna is into the occult and strange stuff, maybe she knows a thing or two about them." Alfonzo suggested.

"Bad idea." I said as I turned away.

"Well what about Star fan?" Ferguson asked. "I don't think there is a single person, short of Star herself, that would know more about her."

"Worse idea." I answered.

"We could aimlessly wander around the school until we find something." Marcus added sarcastically.

I punched a locker in frustration. "Damn, so our only options are to talk to a thief, or someone who is more fanatical than the cult?" No one answered and I turned to the locker. "Fine … any volunteers to talk to Janna?" No one answered, which got me a little concerned. I turned around to look at everyone to see that everyone had taken a few steps back. "Really?" I asked. "Really? All of you would rather go up to Star fan than Janna?" No one responded. "Fine then, I'll talk to Janna, have fun with Star fan."

Just as I began walking away, the bell rang; signaling the beginning of first period. "Well, looks like I'll have to talk to Janna later." I said as I made my way to my first class as fast as possible.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting in my first class of the day, waiting for Marco to finally make it; so that I could apologize for missing his tournament at the very least. He left early this morning, so I wasn't able to tell him; but now he had to come to class, and there was no serious reason for him to not sit next to me.

When he finally arrived he paused at the door, and sighed. I patted the seat next to me, while looking at him. He slowly began to walk over, and I could tell that both of us knew that I wanted to talk to him about a few days ago. When he was about to sit down, I began talking. "So Marco, I just wanted to-"

"Hey Marco." Janna interrupted as she slid into the seat that Marco was about to sit in. "Word on the street is that you were looking to talk to me about something."

Marco was awe struck at what Janna did. "But … you … and … I only just … how did-"

"Word gets around fast, Marco." She said as she lifted her feet onto the top of the desk.

Marco sat in the seat next to her, putting an entire person between us; but I wasn't about to let that stop me. I leaned forward and tried to talk to Marco anyway. "So Marco, like I was saying, I wanted to-"

"Now what did you want to talk about, Marco?" Janna interrupted.

"It's … not really something that I want to talk about in public." Marco responded.

"Oooo, sounds interesting." Janna said as she slid closer to Marco and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Um Marco?" I tried again. "I wanted to talk to you about-"

"You know, on earth, it's rude to talk across someone, Star." Marco interrupted.

"I know, Marco." I began. "But I really, really, REALLY need to talk to you about-"

"Settle down class." The teacher began, as he walked into the room. "It's time for you all to stop talking and start learning."

I sighed as I realized my chance to apologize to Marco had just flown out the window.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

The last class before lunch ended, and I had finally managed to ditch Star. "Man that was hard." I said, as I hid behind a corner. "Now all I need to do is find Janna."

"You say my name?" Janna said, causing me to jump and take a guard.

"Janna!" I exclaimed. "You have got to stop sneaking up on me like that."

"And what if I don't?" She asked, as she slid an arm around me. "Are you going to punish me?"

"Give me back my phone." I said as I held out my hand.

She smiled and reached into one of her pockets. "You've gotten wiser."

"Wise enough to know that you probably stole my wallet as well." I said as I held out my other hand.

She patted my pants where my wallet was. "Not this time Marco." I cleared my throat, and continued to hold out my hand. She reached into her pocket and handed me my credit card. "Was really hopping I got you that time."

"Anything else you want to declare?" I asked.

She wrapped her other arm around the back of my neck and looked me in the eye. "Maybe there are a few things I want to say to you, but you would have to take me out for dinner for me to confess them."

"I didn't want to talk to you so that I could flirt with you, Janna." I said as I pushed her away slightly.

"I know, Marco." She said, with a coy look on her face. "So what did you want to know?"

"Do I have your word that you won't tell ANYONE that I asked?"

She laughed. "You want secrecy as well as information? That's going to cost you extra."

"How much?" I asked.

She smiled and brought her face closer to mine, like she was going to kiss me. I stammered a little as she got close, but she stopped right before our lips made contact. "I want lunch." She whispered. "Just you and me, that way no one will know what you're after."

"Deal." I said as I pushed her away. "So long as I don't have to kiss you."

"That all depends on exactly what you want to know." She said almost seductively.

"I was afraid of that." I said, as I looked away. "Let's just get this over with."

She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the lunch room. The line wasn't unbelievably long, so we managed to get through rather quickly. I did have to pay for Janna's lunch, seeing as it was the only way to keep her quiet; but paying for her lunch wasn't what was bothering me. We went to a table, off to the side, that was never really used, or needed, but worked for my purpose.

"So, what do you want to know?" She asked, as she took a bite of her mashed potatoes.

"I want to know … about the cult of Star."

She stopped chewing and paused before swallowing, then gave me an odd look. "The cult of what?"

"Star has … inspired a cult … and I want to put an end to it."

"And you don't want Star to know about this … because?"

"Oh, she already knows." I answered. "What she doesn't know is that I know about it, and I would like it if it would stay that way."

"Ah, I see." She began. "You want to solve this for her, instead of with her, so you can impress her."

"I want to solve this without her, because she has been lying to me; and decided not to warn me about said cult when they straight up attacked me and my friends when we were defenseless!" I exclaimed as I slammed my fist on the table.

"Ah." She began. "All right then, I don't know much about it right now, but, I can look around for a few whispers here and there, maybe someone who wants to brag about something or other, but it will cost you."

"Name your price and I will see if I can afford it." I answered.

She smiled coyly. "I want a date."

"A what?"

"A date Marco, D-A-T-E, date. You buy me a five star dinner, and I will get you what you want to know."

I sat back and crossed my arms. "Casual dinner, I'm not made of money."

"Formal at least." She haggled.

"Formal attire, but not formal required restaurant." I responded.

"Deal." She said with a smile. "And I know the perfect place."

"After." I added.

"Say what?" She asked.

"We will go out, after you find out the information. You can tell me while we're out."

"Fine then." She said as she leaned back. "But you have to promise me that you will still pay up, even if you change your mind about taking on the cult or miraculously take them down, which isn't likely."

I rolled my eyes. "So go big or go home?" I asked. She nodded with a smile. "Fine then, you've got yourself a deal."

"Excellent." She said with a smile.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting at our table with everyone, minus Marco. "Just look at them." I hissed, as I leered over at the table where Marco and Janna were sitting, alone.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're jealous." Stella pointed out.

"What's so great about Janna that he would want to spend lunch with her instead of me? She's not so great, he doesn't even like her that much."

"If memory serves, he didn't like you when you first met either; and now people ship you two like Fed-ex." Ferguson added.

I looked at Ferguson, curiously. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing important, Star." Marcus added. "But Marco did say that he had something important to talk to her about."

"And what might that be?" I asked as I rested my chin on the table.

"Simple, it's classified." Marcus replied.

"Great." I said as I looked away. "What does he see in her?"

"Stop being envious." Stella retorted. "I've been left out of things for days, and you don't hear me complaining."

I lifted my head up slightly. "I asked if you wanted to come to Jackie's slumber party, and you said no."

"Marco asked you if you wanted to hang out with us on that same day, and you said no." Alfonzo added.

"I had other things to do." She said as she turned away.

"Yeah well, I still don't trust her." I said as I looked back to Janna. "She's using Marco for something, I can feel it."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

The last class of the day had ended. thankfully Thankfully I was able to, once again, ditch Star. "Man, she's persistent." I said to myself as I went to meet up with the others. I made my way to the back of the school, where we had all agreed to meet up, and when I got there I saw that Marcus, Alfonzo, and Ferguson were already there. "I see you didn't waste any time getting here." I greeted.

"Star fan was more eager to talk than we expected." Marcus replied. "She literally almost started singing."

"So, what do we have?" I asked.

"Only one location, their usual meeting hall." Alfonzo answered. "And sadly, none of the leaders are going to be there."

"It's a start." I said, as I looked at my watch.

"So what did you get from your time alone with Janna?" Ferguson asked.

I rolled my eyes before answering. "She said that she doesn't know anything, but will look into it."

Ferguson shot me a strange smile. "In exchange for what?" He asked.

I sighed. "I have to go on a date with her … formal dress."

"So you finally managed to score a date with a girl?" Ferguson inquired.

"Can we not talk about this?" I asked. "We have the location of their hang out, so can we just go storm it and ask them not to be a part of the cult?"

Alfonzo and Ferguson looked at each other a little worried. "Um … we can't fight … remember?" Ferguson responded.

"Fine then." I turned to Marcus. "Are you ready to help me?"

"Well … couldn't we talk to Stella about joining us?" He asked.

I leered at him. "You want to drag Stella into this?" I asked.

"She's a better fighter than you are." Marcus replied. "If we can't bring Star in on it, then we will need all the help we can get."

I sighed. "Fine, I will talk to Stella, when's the next meeting?"

"Today." Ferguson replied. "It's full of potential recruits and it's in an hour."

"Then it looks like we've got our mission." I said as I punched my palm.

"Wait." Marcus began. "You said it was a recruiting meeting?"

I smiled. "Nice to know we're thinking the same thing, you have what you need?"

Marcus smiled back. "I brought more than I need … just in case."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

When we made it to the cult's meeting hall, we found an old abandoned building that was one accident shy of being condemned; and that there were about five robed cultists and about twenty other people. We had decided to hide in the crowd, and we were thankful that we didn't attract attention. "Man, would it kill them to bring some seats or something?" Ferguson moaned.

"It gives us an advantage." Marcus replied as other people talked over him.

"I presume everything is in place then?" I asked.

"Set it up before anyone got here like you said." He replied.

"So when does the party start?" I asked again.

"Soon." Marcus said with a smile.

I looked up at the rafters to see for myself. With the present lighting, it wasn't easy to see, but Marcus had set up a number of fireworks that would cause quite the panic in this space; causing all the potential cultist to scatter and hopefully never return.

"How did you set the fuse without anyone noticing?" Ferguson asked.

"It's hidden at the top, that one will start a chain reaction and cause everyone to run like cowards."

"Shhh. I think it's starting." Alfonzo replied as a hooded man turned to address the people.

"Hello potential members, I know that a lot of you are scared, or concerned, but rest assured, you have nothing to fear by joining our group."

"That's a lie." I whispered to myself.

"Now we all want the same thing, and that thing is Star Butterfly."

"She's not a thing." I muttered as I clenched my fists.

"And under our leaders leadership, and your help, we will capture her for ourselves!"

"She doesn't belong to anyone." I said as I began to grind my teeth.

"Now I have a special treat for you all, one of our leaders has decided to present himself for this momentous occasion!" He stepped to the side to reveal another cloaked figure behind him. "May I present, Roy!"

The cultist bowed as the audience stood there, concerned. "Isn't Roy the guy that the other cultist mentioned a few days ago?" Alfonzo asked.

"Yeah but what is he doing here?" Ferguson asked. "Star fan said that no leaders were going to be here."

"Must have been a change in plans." I said as I leered at Roy.

Roy took off his hood to reveal a boy, not much older than us with, of all things, long blue hair. "Now there's something you should all know about before we begin, I am only one of three heads who oversee our group, that being said, we all have … different methods which we are trying to implement in order to have Star Butterfly, and I do not approve of the other plans." He began to pace. "Manipulation, indoctrination, black mail, trickery, all of these are simply too impractical for something so … simple." The more he spoke, the more he ticked me off. "My plan is to simply over power her and take her for ourselves. It might seem difficult, but we simply catch her off guard and we should have the upper hand, sure it may take a few tries but I assure you, we will possess Star Butterfly."

I couldn't take another second of this. I walked over to Roy, as I pushed people aside. "Shut your damn mouth!" I exclaimed.

Roy looked at me, curiously, and all the cultists walked up to me. "And who might you be?" He asked.

"You're talking about owning her, like she's some slave or object." My hands clenched into fists as I resisted the urge to charge him. "She's not some tool or toy for you to own! She's a living breathing person!"

He began laughing and before I knew it, two cultists grabbed me and restrained my hands with zap straps. "Well well well, Marco Diaz." He began laughing as he looked me in the eye. "And here I thought that we were going to have to go and find you ourselves."

"Say what?" I asked.

"I knew you would come. After my last attack failed, you would naturally seek revenge, or a way to stop us and bring Star with you." He looked at something behind me. "But sadly it appears that you didn't bring her after all." Just then, someone threw Alfonzo, Ferguson, and Marcus right next to me. "Smart move really, but you only gave us what we were looking for during our first attack."

"But you said that you were going to kidnap her and hold her." Ferguson began. "If that's the case then why do you need us?"

He held his head back and laughed at Ferguson's question. "What kind of fool do you take me for? Only a fool would think that it would be easy to take Star on in a straight up fight, and only a bigger fool would think he could hold her after that. I need leverage if I want to capture her and … persuade her, to be a part of us."

"Then why all the lies?" Ferguson asked.

"Like I said, I knew that Marco would come. It was to get Star riled up so we could take her like we did you, but I had no idea that it would work on Marco as well, I call that a happy accident." He smiled as he stood up. "Looks like we're going back to plan 'A' people."

Just then a hissing sound began and everyone was quiet. "What's that?" Roy asked.

"That is the sound of something taking ITS GOD DAMN TIME TO GO OFF!" Marcus exclaimed.

Just then, a fireworks wheel went off, showering the ceiling with color, moments later, a few Roman candles went off; those were angled away from the crowd slightly, but still enough to get them to panic and run.

"Damn." Roy exclaimed as the reaction continued. The cultists around us also began to scatter a little, so that they could get rid of their flammable robes. "Looks like we'll have to-"

Roy was cut off by Marcus getting up and punching him in the face. "Marco!" He said as he tossed me an exacto knife.

I turned around and grabbed the knife then proceeded to cut myself free. I managed to cut the band and was about to help Alfonzo, but Marcus was thrown in my path. "Everything hurts." He muttered as he grasped his stomach in pain.

I turned to Roy, who was standing there smiling. His cultists had fled and the chain reaction was starting to die down. "He doesn't know hand to hand, does he?"

"Thankfully I'm much better at it." I said as I dropped the knife by Marcus.

I took a guard and Roy smiled. "You're no match for me."

"We'll see about THAT!" I threw a punch, which he quickly avoided, then another and another which he was also avoiding like I was moving in slow motion or something.

"You're pathetic." He replied. He grabbed one of my punches and then punched me in the gut, causing me to drop to my knees. "Yes, bow to me like you should."

"Never." I muttered.

"What was that?" He asked.

I took a breath. "I said I'll never bow to you!" I tried to get up, but the pain caused me to stall. Roy saw the opportunity and was about to strike me, when sparks came flying towards him.

I looked over to see Marcus had gotten over the pain and had set off a Roman candle, and pointed it at Roy. I saw the opportunity and bit my lower lip as hard as I could and threw my hood up. I got to my feet and rushed Roy, grabbing his back then slamming my elbow into his chest as hard as I could; causing something to crack. Roy fell to the ground gasping for breath, as I stood over him. "It's over Roy." I said with a leer.

"No." He said as I saw him pull something out of his sleeve. "I'm not going down HERE!" Before I could process what was going on, a portal opened beneath him; and closed shortly after he fell through.

"Damn." I said as I punched the ground. "We almost had him."

"Can we get out of here?" Ferguson asked as he avoided a fireball.

"Good idea." I replied. We quickly ran out of the building and as far away as possible. When we were a safe distance away, we stopped to catch our breath in a nearby alley.

"Man that was close." Ferguson said between breaths. "But we beat him."

"We beat no one." I said as I turned to face a wall. "Roy ran and we fell right for his trap, it was only luck that we managed to get away."

"We didn't do that to capture Roy." Marcus pointed out. "We didn't even know that he was going to be there, we just went to sabotage their meeting and potential recruits."

I looked away. "I … guess you're right, but still, Roy has dimensional scissors; meaning that he can run whenever he feels like it"

"Don't we have dimensional scissors?" Ferguson asked.

"Star does." I responded. "And I can't just ask her if I can use them, not to mention that I have no idea where Roy went." I looked off into the distance. "We've done enough for now, hopefully that sent a message they won't soon forget."

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**And that's the end of the chapter, next one will be up tomorrow but for now, I must shave.**

**R&amp;R**


	25. Chapter 25

**Did you all think I forgot about you? Well you all forgot about me apparently, I only got one review last chapter but seeing as fanfiction is … having problems with revews today and/or I am posting a new chapter every day this week, I will respond to all reviews privately until the end of the week. That way I can simply get to the story. Now for the story.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

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(Marco's POV)

I walked into my room, sore and stiff. I had just gotten home from our escapades today and I honestly wanted nothing more than to just lie down and fall asleep. "Man, this is getting out of hand." I said to myself.

"Then why didn't you ask for my help?" I heard Monster Arm ask.

I froze and looked around the room to make sure that no one was there. "I don't want people to know that you're back … not just yet anyway, and I can't simply say, 'hey Monster Arm, I need help.' That would prove that you're back."

"Fair point." He began. "Then how about this, the next time you're in a fight, and I ask if you need help, simply crack your neck or knuckles three times and I will take that as a 'yes.'"

"Fine by me." I responded. "But only when I'm in a fight, I don't want you to misinterpret me cracking my knuckles."

"I understand." He replied. "Just remember, if you plan to take on the cult, then you will need my help."

"Why do you need to point out the obvious?" I asked.

"Who are you talking to?" Star asked.

I instantly stood up and looked over to see her standing at my doorway. "Star!" I exclaimed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." She answered. "Now who were you talking to?"

I looked away slightly as I thought up a lie to tell her. "Myself."

She tilted her head and looked at me funny. "You talk to yourself?"

"When I'm alone." I answered. "It … helps me think."

"O-kay …" She said slowly.

I sighed. "What do you need?"

"Oh right, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Well I don't want to talk about anything right now, thank you." I said as I got up.

"NO!" Star exclaimed as she rushed into my room. She grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back; causing me to fall back onto my back.

"Damn it Star, you didn't-" I stopped as I realized that Star was still holding onto my shoulders and now I was staring into her eyes. My heart rate began to pick up as the surprised look on her face was met with my own. 'Damn it, what's happening to me?' I thought. After a moment, I got my senses back and shook my head. "Star, can you get off of me?" I asked.

"Huh?" She began. "Oh, right." She let go of me then sat next to me. "Sorry about that."

I got up and cracked my neck once. "Just … don't do that again." I began.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm sorry." She said immediately. I mentally sighed knowing what was coming next. "I didn't mean to miss your tournament, I just … I lost track of time and … I got lost then … well … by the time I found my way, it was already over and-"

"Why didn't you just tell me this sooner?" I asked. "You could have made a pit stop at home before going to your slumber party."

"So you know about that too?" She asked.

"You did talk to my parents about it, and when I asked where you were I was told that you were there."

"Yeah." She said nervously, as she looked away. "I guess I should have told you but-"

"Stop." I interrupted. "I'm not upset that you were invited to a slumber party, or that you went, or that you didn't tell me."

"You're not?" She asked.

"No, I'm not." I answered. "I'm upset that you lied to me."

She looked at me incredulously. "I … when did I lie?"

'All the time.' I thought. "You said that you enjoyed watching me fight and you promised that you would be there before the first round even started."

"But I do like watching you fight, Marco." She answered.

"Then what is the reason you didn't come?" I asked.

She looked nervous for sure, I had caught her in a lie and she knew it. "I … I told you, I got lost."

"You could have come with us." I responded.

"I … I had stuff to do." She stuttered.

"Don't lie to me, Star." I began. "How many lies have you told me already?"

She looked down and I could swear I saw a tear escape her eye. "I … I really did get lost … for a time." She began. "I … I did eventually find my way but … I was scared."

"Scared of what?" I asked.

"That you already lost." She said as a visible tear escaped her eye. "I know you're not better then Stella, and you claimed that you needed Monster Arm to beat Jeremy … I … I knew that there were others who could beat you and I was just too afraid to show up only to see you look at me with contempt for missing your matches."

I let out a sigh. "Star, I made it to the quarter finals."

Her expression turned to one of shock. "Oh …" She looked down. "I … I'm …"

I shook my head. "Are we done here?"

"NO!" Star exclaimed. "We're not done here, Marco. I missed you kick some serious butt and I need to make it up to you now."

"No, you don't." I said as I shook my head.

"Yes, I do." Star retorted. "How about this, name anything you want and-"

"I don't want anything from you right now, Star!" I retorted, as I shot her a leer. "Just leave me alone okay?"

She looked at me, shocked, and almost heartbroken; but I still didn't waver. I pointed to my door and Star slowly got up and walked out.

When she closed the door I fell back onto my bed and hit my forehead with my palm. "What the heck did I do that for?" I asked myself. "How could I've been so-" I paused and looked around my room really quickly. "Monster Arm."

"Yes?" Monster Arm replied.

"Did you have something to do with why I kept getting angry?" I asked.

"If I was, then do you really think that you would be able to calm down enough to ask?" He began. "I'll admit, when you are in use of my power, you may get easily angered; but that's only when in use, and like I said, I can't lend you power unless you let me."

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" I asked.

"Because it was infinitesimal compared to the fight. Not to mention, that your anger has nothing to do with me."

"Then what is it?" I demanded.

"I already told you; you care for Star, deeply. And you feel betrayed."

"I don't care for Star." I retorted before turning away. "Not in the way you're thinking."

"Do you remember the day at the pier?" Monster Arm asked.

"What day at the Pier?"

"Back when Ludo attacked." He was silent as I recalled the events of that day. "You told Jackie that you didn't know how you felt about Star, and when you heard about what Oscar thought about her, you nearly tore him in two."

"That was before I found out she lied to me." I retorted.

"Then why not confront her?" Monster Arm demanded. "Why give her the chance to redeem herself by telling the truth when you can simply tell her that you know and put a gap between you that may never be crossed?"

I sighed and looked to the floor. "Why am I taking on a cult for her?" I asked. "Am I trying to protect her? Or give her a taste of her own medicine?"

"I don't think I'm the one to be talking to about this."

I laughed. "Maybe you're right."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Some unknown location)

The room was as quiet as night, with torches hanging from the walls and a large mirror hanging on the wall opposite the entrance. As the door creaked open, the mysterious hooded figure walked into the room and stood before the mirror. "Master." The figure began. "I have come as you asked."

The strange silhouette appeared and looked to address the figure. "Ah, my loyal servant, what do you have to report?"

"I must first ask as to why we are meeting here instead of our usual meeting place." The figure turned around. "There are many more eyes to try and see under my hood."

"Don't fret, they wouldn't unless I told them to; and keeping your identity a secret is useful to my plan, now report."

The figure sighed. "I do not believe that candidate two is viable anymore."

"WHAT!?" The silhouette shouted. "What do you mean, not viable?"

"We applied too much pressure when trying to strain the bonds to make them stronger that we may have broken them." The figure began. "Without substantial luck, it may take years to make him a viable candidate again."

"No." The silhouette began. "No no no no NO NO NO NO! I will have what I want and I'm not going to let a minor setback like this stop me! Now fix the damage or the deal is off."

"Easy!" The figure defended as it held up its hands. "We still have one last candidate that we can use."

"Or you could just go with candidate number four." A voice said from the doorway.

The black hooded figure looked back to see a hooded figure in a white cloak. "You must be one of the cult leaders that I heard about."

"That I am." He said as he walked up. "And who might you be?"

"You may call this one, the asset." The silhouette responded.

"The Asset?" The cult leader asked.

"That's fine with me." The Asset began. "But who is this fourth candidate you speak of?"

The cult leader laughed. "Why it's me of course."

"Say what?" The Asset asked.

"What?" The silhouette asked.

"I can fill the requirements, and be the fourth candidate if need be, manipulation need not be used on me, I will give myself willingly; should I prove the most favorable."

"Do you have any idea what you would be giving up?" The Asset asked.

"I am aware, and I will give it up to serve my master." The cult leader replied.

"Intriguing." The silhouette began. "That being said, do you think it's possible to rescue what's left of candidate number two?"

The Asset shook its head. "If it is possible then it will be difficult. Not to mention the work that would be needed."

"What would we need?" The silhouette asked.

The Asset laughed slightly. "We would need to keep Star from so much as talking to Marco at the very least. Even a simple conversation could end things."

"It's not impossible." The silhouette replied. "Both of you, see what you can do to keep them from talking. In the meantime, work on making candidate number two ready for our needs."

The Asset looked at the silhouette annoyed. "It may still be impossible."

"Then take care to work on candidate three. And this time, I believe a gentler approach might be best." He turned to the cult leader. "In the meantime, you will work on getting ready as well, should the worst happen."

"Can we drop the formalities?" The cult leader asked, earning him strange looks from the silhouette and The Asset. "We keep calling them candidate one two and three, can't we just refer to them by their real names?"

"We need to play it safe, in case someone is spying on us." The Asset responded.

"God forbid they spy on us, in my hideout." The cult leader retorted. "By now, any prying eyes would already know who they are. And if they don't, then what's the harm in telling them? Right now the only thing we're doing is making things more confusing for us."

The Asset and silhouette looked at each other before turning to address the cult leader. "Fair point." The silhouette noted. "Very well, now for your report my faithful servant; how goes your plan to get Star Butterfly?"

"No problems as of yet." The cult leader began. "That being said however, I haven't been able to make much progress."

"And what of the others?"

"Roy doesn't stand a chance, now that Monster Arm has once again surfaced, as for the other one." The cult leader turned away. "He will be an annoyance to say the least; I believe that he may even betray you for his own benefit."

"Do you need further assistance?" The silhouette asked.

The cult leader looked at The Asset, who offered a mocking smile. "I don't need any help. I will take care of him when the time comes; and I will capture Star for you."

"Very good." The silhouette noted before turning to Th) Asset. "As for you, do whatever necessary to fix the damage, so that Marco will be ready for what I have planned."

"And should the damage be irreversible, should I work on candidate three?"

The silhouette shook it's head. "No, if we are to use Marcus, then we should let his progress go naturally, it would conflict with Marco's progress; and I don't want a repeat of the mistake we made with him."

The Asset looked at the cult leader, then back to the silhouette. "So unless something big happens, it's Marco, or this guy?"

"Is there going to be a problem?"

The Asset shook his head. "No … no problem what so ever."

* * *

**Now for something important, everyone give a big thank you to H. Mae for convincing me to add in an overly sad scene near the end of the story between Star and Marcus which will make you all cry and nourish me for a good long time … not … that I feast on sadness or anything, that would be wrong and … I'll just … post this and get back to Xcom.**

**R&amp;R**


	26. Chapter 26

**Relatively short chapter is short, I know. Now let me get to the reviews so I can go to sleep.**

**leader of shadowz: Or maybe I'll have them argue so much that they will never become friends again.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: That is kind of ironic now that I think about it.**

**Rayfe: Well there's one today and one tomorrow (unless you're reading this after today) so you don't have to worry because … I plan on finishing this before the next hiatus ends.**

**Steel Razer: That's what I do best.**

**kitsune king jr: It will be cool but I haven't written it yet.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Now why would this leader want a relationship with Star?**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day; right before lunch)

I was on my way to the lunch room alone, and with a heavy heart; Marco was still upset and I still haven't told him about Jackie. "Maybe I should just find another family to live with and get out of Marco's life forever."

"You know I'd miss you terribly if you left." I heard someone say.

I turned around, instantly hopping it was Marco; but sadly, it wasn't. "Mathew." I said with a slight leer. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Really?" He asked as he began to look sad. "I … I thought that we …" He sighed and looked away. "You're right, I'm the leader of a cult that's trying to capture you and-"

"No." I interrupted as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm … sorry … I … was disappointed that it wasn't someone else I heard saying that … thank you for your generosity."

He smiled. "Thank you … I wanted to talk to you about some information I intercepted; about something Lannister is up to."

"Lannister?" I asked. "Why didn't you say so, let's hear it."

"There's a lot." He said with a tired look on his face. "So … I … I was wondering if … I know how this sounds, but do you want to eat lunch together while we talk? It doesn't have to be just the two of us but-"

"Sure." I interrupted. "But … I don't want Marco to know that I have a cult, so let's keep it to just the two of us."

"Really?" He asked excitedly. "I mean … thank you, I promise I will make this worth your while."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was walking to our table with my tray of food, when Lars decided to cut me off. "Hey Marco, I got a joke for ya."

"Your fly is down." I said, as I walked around him. Lars paused before running off to the bathroom, and I breathed out a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to deal with another lunch accident.

When I got to our table I found Alfonzo, Ferguson, Marcus, and Stella already sitting down, enjoying or as close to enjoying as you can get with cafeteria food lunch.

"Hey Marco." Stella greeted halfheartedly. "I heard that you and Janna are a thing now."

"Good afternoon Stella." I greeted as I ignored her statement. "How did your last match go?"

"So no one wants to point out that Star is sitting with some dude in a skull T-shirt?" Ferguson asked.

"Let's all talk like we're not listening to anyone else!" Marcus cheered.

I shook my head, annoyed. "Fine, I'm not dating Janna, I need her help with something and she would only help me if I went out with her. Now how did your match go?"

"We were on the match point when I got disqualified for punching him in the face." Stella responded, before taking a bite of her sandwich. "I have no regrets."

"Now I wish I was there." I replied. "I'm really sorry I walked away when I did, instead of being a good friend and staying."

"Unresolved issues anyone?" Ferguson asked.

"Shut it Ferg." I retorted. "Now what was this about Star sitting with someone else?"

Ferguson turned towards me, slightly, and put on a fake look of shock. "Oh, you want me to talk? I thought you told me to shut it?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, I've been a little on edge today, but that gives me no right to-"

"What the hell is up with you?" Stella interrupted. "You're acting way too … strange, even for you."

"I'm having a rough day, okay?" I answered.

"Star?" She asked.

"What gave it away?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Have you talked to her about it?"

I turned away. "Been too busy."

"You live with her and you've been too busy?" She leaned forward and leered at me. "You aren't doing anything with anyone else in the house, so what exactly are you up to?"

"We're fighting a cult, all right!" I snapped.

Stella looked at me, surprised. Alfonzo, Ferguson, and Marcus shook their heads. "Looks like the cat's out of the bag now." Marcus said without turning his head.

Stella paused before turning to look at Marcus. "Wait … what cult?"

"The cult of Star." I answered, causing Stella to turn her attention back to me.

"And Star didn't think to warn us of said cult before they decided to ambush us." Ferguson added.

"I can see why you're mad at her." Stella answered. "What did she say when you confronted her about it?"

"We'll let you know when we do." I responded.

She looked at me, surprised. "You mean you didn't tell her you were attacked?"

"We haven't even told her we know about it, yet." Ferguson answered. "As far as she knows, we're still oblivious to the whole thing."

"You're kidding." Stella began. "When was this?"

"The night of the tournament." I answered. "When we went to see Marcus's fireworks."

"Tell me what happened." Stella demanded.

* * *

(Star's POV)

"So, what do you have?" I asked.

"A list." Mathew answered. "Lannister has a shopping list of supplies that … raise a red flag."

"How so?" I asked.

Mathew pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack. "They aren't from this dimension."

"So what?" I asked. "I get stuff from other dimensions all the time."

"Earthlings don't usually get things from other dimensions." Mathew responded, before unfolding the paper to reveal that it was actually four times longer than a single piece of paper.

"That is a long list." I said as Mathew placed it on the table.

"I can't make heads or tails of any of them so … could you look at it for me and tell me what he's up to?"

"Sure." I answered. Mathew gave me the list and I began to look it over. As I read the list, I recognized a few things immediately; that only raised more questions. "From what I've read so far … Lannister has taken an interest in making Mewnien feminine hygiene products."

"Say what?" Mathew asked incredulously.

"From the first few of these it look like … Oh … wait" I said as I continued reading. "Mewnisium, a basic component for crafting many magical items."

"Like your wand?" He asked.

"Don't insult my wand." I said cheerfully. "My wand is made from a much higher quality material that's so powerful, it's said that it takes multiple eternities to form."

"Sounds impressive." Mathew replied with a chuckle.

I smiled then continued reading. "This one increases blood flow, this one is a form of food for giant spiders, no idea what these are, this-" I paused as my eyes went wide. "This is … I don't see him needing this … ever."

"Why?" Mathew asked curiously.

"Trolls use it when they want to become … intimate."

Mathew pushed his food tray away. "I don't think I'll be eating anything solid for a while."

"Let's … just keep reading." I read over the rest of the list, then put it down. "Well … he might be planning on opening a beauty salon, while trying to raise an army, care for a giant spider, start a hydra farm, and … other things."

"I'm not sure if I even want to know what he has planned at this point." He said as he rested his head on the table.

"And he doesn't even know the first thing about redundancy, no one uses fractium ore if their they're also getting-" I paused, then picked up the list again. "No … it can't be."

"Can't be what?"

I continued looking over the list and noticed a number of things wrong with it. "You don't get fractium ore if you are also getting Mewnisium, as a matter of fact, you don't get fractium ore at all these days."

"Why's that?"

"Because it does the exact same thing." I answered. "People used to use fractium ore until they found that Mewnisium can be molded like putty when heated, then keeps its shape when cooled unless you heat it again." I put down the list. "There's also other examples of things like that on this list."

"He knew I would find out." Mathew said in defeat. "He knew I would get my hands on it, so he put a lot of other things on it to throw me off his trail."

I felt bad for making Mathew feel sad. "Don't feel bad about it, whatever he's really after has to be on here as well; all we need to do is narrow it down."

"You say that like it's so easy." He picked up his head and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to give up … whatever Lannister is up to, I will find out, and I will stop it."

"You mean 'we' right?" I asked. "I'm not just going to sit idly about while Lannister does whatever freaky thing he's got planed."

"It's not that simple, Star." Mathew began. "If my followers found out that you were helping us, and would only be doing so until Lannister was dealt with, they would start to revolt."

"I figured that they would be happy. I mean they practically worship me, right?"

"They do worship you, Star." Mathew explained. "And that's the problem, they would be heartbroken after it was done and you left us. It might even cause them to side with Lannister."

"I'm not going to do nothing!" I exclaimed.

Mathew looked to the side for a moment, before looking back at me. "Well … there might be a way."

"Name it." I demanded.

"Give them a chance." Mathew stated.

I was in shock, for a moment, at his suggestion. "Give them a chance?"

"You don't have to, but like I said, they worship you. You have more power over the cult than all the leaders put together; if only you know how to use it."

I placed my hand on my chin in thought. "Exactly … how … would I use it?"

"Simple, you give them what they want." I was about to shout at him, but he preempted me. "I did say you didn't have to do it." He responded, causing me to relax a little. "Now Lannister and some of his followers want to control you, so they would need to be dealt with. On top of that, these people are humans, not computers, you can't simply ask them to stop worshiping you once this is all over and expect it to work." I was about to react again, but he raised his hands giving me pause. "You don't have to say yes … and you don't have to answer now … but please think about it."

I looked away, slightly. "Okay … I'll think about it ... but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone about this until after I give you an answer."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**Good night!**

**R&amp;R**


	27. Chapter 27

**Alright, so I don't have much time so let me say this, happy late Fourth of July everyone, sorry I wasn't able to post a chapter on that day, now for the reviews.**

**leader of shadowz: Thank you, I'm trying to update this story as fast as I can.**

**H. Mae: Once again I love your review but I literally have ten minutes before I have to get ready for work, next time I'll take care of making sure the chapter is ready the night before so I can give you a proper response.**

**Bigmike33321: I'm not sure why you are getting that feeling, I don't know what chemicals are reacting in your head to bring you to that conclusion which may or may not be true.**

**Guest: So … if you're a guest … then you can't follow this story … then how do you kno0w when it's updated?**

**Guest: I'll see what I can do about the chapters but the moments will come when they come.**

**retrofan1: I'm interested in knowing what those guesses are.**

**Steel Razer: Maybe she will, maybe she won't.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: She had no regrets about what she did, she was happy about it.**

**Guest: And a happy 4****th**** to you too.**

**Estralla: Right now.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(After school)

I was exiting the building, with my head down, thinking about what Mathew had said earlier;. Sure, Mathew being part of the cult wouldn't be horrible, and it's most surely preferable to being at the mercy of Lannister or Roy; but I still had my doubts. As I walked down the street without Marco once again, I found that my focus on Mathew, and his involvement with the cult had gotten me lost somewhere in town. "Well this is perfect." I said as I turned around, only to see a group of cultists standing behind me. "And here I was thinking that today was going to be calm."

"Don't fret, we will be gentle." The leader said as he cracked his knuckles. "All we need is for you to come along quietly and this will be painless … well, mostly."

"I think I'll pass." I said as I pulled out my wand and pointed it at them. "Magic Manacles!" Several purple beams shot from my wand and collided with some of the cultist resulting in their restraint with the magical chains. "Thank you Glossaryck." I said with a smile.

"Clever." The leader replied. He pulled out some form of rod that looked as if it had a silver tip. "But not clever enough." With one swing he freed one of the restrained cultists, then the rest began charging.

I quickly fired another restraining spell, which caused the charging cultists to fall to the ground restrained; but the leader only smiled. "Well someone's a slow learner." He said as he began walking towards me.

"Magic Manacles!" I shouted, causing a beam of magical energy to shoot at him; only for him to swat it away with his silver tipped stick. "This isn't good." I said as I took a few more steps back.

The rest of the cultists began to free themselves, somehow, and began getting back up. "You can still make this easy Star, we won't do anything too harmful, we promise."

"I think I'll pass."

The leader shook his head, and smiled under his cowl. "You misunderstand, you can't escape us; so why make this hard?"

"I'm not going with you!" I turned around and began running as fast as I could; the cultists close behind me. I was forced to maneuver through crowds of people, but with their sheer numbers, and strange clothing, the crowds parted for the cultists allowing them to close the distance. I quickly turned down an alley hoping to lose them, only to find out that it was a dead end. "Damn." I turned around only to have someone grab my arm and pull me through a door that I had not seen. "What's-"

"Be quiet." Someone whispered.

The room was dark and small, with only one exit. I wasn't able to get a good look at who grabbed me, but I could hear voices from outside.

"Where is she?!" The voice that belonged to the leader of the cult asked.

"Not sure." Another voice answered.

"I don't care, find her or Roy will have our heads!"

"Roy." I sneered softly.

"Be quiet." The other person whispered. "They will find us."

I looked at him, and discovered that he was actually a she. She had long blond hair and was probably a few years younger than myself, and also had a look of desperation in her eyes. I waited for the sounds outside to stop, then looked back at the girl who had rescued me. "Is it safe to talk now?" I asked.

She held up a finger and checked her phone. "Yes, they're gone now."

"Good." I said as I turned to look at her. "Who are you? How did you find me? Where are we? How do you know that the cultists are gone, and what was with those weapons they had?"

"Is that all?" She asked nervously.

"It's a start." I answered.

She took a breath before answering. "I'm a cultist as well, but I no longer answer to Roy."

"That answers a few of my questions." I responded. "But if you don't work under Roy then how did you know about the attack."

"I never said I don't work under him, I said I don't answer to him." She pointed out.

"So you're a double agent for another leader?"

"Yes." She said, tentatively. "I used to work under Roy, but after … someone talked to me … I decided that Roy doesn't have your best interest at heart."

"Not many of you do." I said as I opened the door a crack. "Now what about that weapon with the silver tip?"

"It's purified silver." She answered.

I rolled my eyes and opened the door. "More like sterilized silver." I responded. "Robe silver of its magical properties and it will never be the same again, not even Ludo would sink so low as to do something so crude to something so special."

"That's Roy for you." She said as she looked down.

As I walked out, I noticed that the door was actually part of the wall which was why the cultists didn't find it. "So if not Roy, then who do you answer to?"

"I follow Mathew's example, as do a small handful of the others. Although our segment is the smallest, there are others who help."

"Which explains why you knew when it was safe." I continued walking and the girl followed me.

"You shouldn't travel alone Star, Roy will try again."

"Who would I travel with?" I asked as I walked. "I don't want to get Marco or Marcus into this, and Stella would surely tell them if she ever found out."

"About what?" The girl asked.

"About the cult." I answered. "I'd rather keep Marco as far away from this as humanly possible."

I heard the girl's footsteps stop, and I stopped to see what was wrong. She was standing there, shocked, like she had seen a ghost. "Is everything all right?" I asked.

"Fine." She responded. "Everything's fine." We continued walking until we got to my neighborhood. "I'd better leave here." She stated.

"All right." I responded. "Thank you for the save earlier."

"Think nothing of it." She said with a smile. "It's my pleasure to aid you."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

After school Stella and I had gone in search of another hideout that Star fan had told us about. We had left straight from school, so we still had our backpacks with us. This time however, it was just the two of us; seeing as how Marcus had completely run out of fireworks and Alfonzo and Ferguson agreed to help him craft more.

"So we are going to bust up a gathering like you guys did a few days ago?" Stella asked.

"Not this time." I answered. "This time it's a storage facility of some sort."

"Really?" Stella asked as she stopped. "There has to be something better we can hit, a storage facility isn't going to do us any good, what so ever."

"It might tell us their plan." I answered. "Not to mention, we don't know anything else; so we might as well."

Stella began walking again, and in no time at all we arrived at the back of a small warehouse. "How do they even keep this? The ownership of this has to show up in the town records or something."

"Let's find that out later." I said as I walked around to the front of) the building.

As we rounded the first corner, we saw one of the side entrances to the warehouse unguarded. "Looks like our ticket in." I whispered.

"This seems too easy." Stella pointed out.

"It would look suspicious if they guarded it twenty four seven." I froze for a moment as I remembered something. "Now that I think about it, there might not be any people in there at all."

I began walking up to the entrance, as Stella grabbed my shoulder. "Why on earth would you think that? We might be walking into a trap."

"They lack sufficient manpower to capture Star, how are they going to have more guarding a warehouse?"

"Fair point." She said as she took her hand off my shoulder.

I walked over to the door, and slowly twisted the knob and opened it. The inside of the warehouse was empty, and I mean empty, there was only one box on the far side of the building.

"This place must have been abandoned." Stella said as she looked around.

"There's still one crate." I said as I walked over to the crate. The box was a little larger than me in height, but it had to be at least ten feet long. When I got to it I pulled on the front and it just fell right off like it wasn't even nailed on. "Looks like the cover was just for show." I said as I looked at the fallen lid.

"Marco?" Stella asked frightened. "Look inside."

I turned my attention to the contents. It looked like the contents of a mad scientist's stash of samples, rather than the inside of a storage crate. Inside were animal hides, animal carcasses, plants, and various minerals arranged on a storage rack.

"I don't think I want to know what they have planned for some of these." I said as I took a closer look.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Stella asked as she followed me. "You don't know if any of these things are poisonous." She said as she looked at a cage with an alligator-chicken in it.

"Well it can't hurt to-" I was interrupted when I saw something that looked more normal than anything else, in the crate, a small stash of silver rested on a shelf on the far side, with a) tag 'purified silver' underneath. It was simply a few rocks, barely enough for a dagger, if melted down; but I was getting a strange vibe from it, like it was dead or something. "Hey Stella, can you find a manifest of some form? This silver … something's … strange about it."

"Try looking under the tag." Stella pointed out as she lifted the one belonging to the alligator-chicken beneath its cage. "They apparently have some information."

I lifted the tag and began reading. "Purified silver: silver which has been purified of all magical properties. Highly effective against magic." I felt odd as I read it. "Purified of magic?" I asked. "That … doesn't sound right."

"Can you worry about the silver later?" Stella asked. "What are we going to do about all these … things?"

"I don't think we can leave the silver here." I responded.

"Who cares about the silver?" She retorted. "It's the only thing here that I don't think is going to poison us by being in proximity to it."

I looked around and ran my finger over one of the shelves, and looked to see just how much dust was in this room. "This place had to have been abandoned a while ago." I pointed out. I looked over to one of the dead animals that was kept in a cage. Based on the fact that there were also strange, dead, animals that weren't in cages, I had to assume that these animals were, at one point during their captivity, alive. "I think this place might have been abandoned."

"I think you're right." Stella said as she stepped back. "Looks like this is a dead end."

"Maybe." I said as I took off my backpack. "But I'm not running the risk of anyone coming back and getting their hands on some of this stuff."

Stella rolled her eyes and began lifting tags and reading them. "Alichicken, lays eggs that effect hormonal changes and it's dead. Mewflower, enhances heart rate but useless when wet, and it's collected so much condensation, and that's just to name a few."

"Not letting this silver fall into the wrong hands." I replied as I began scooping it into my backpack. "Get a paper and pencil and copy as much as you can, I'll get this one."

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?" She asked.

"What did you expect? That we would be fighting all the time?" I replied.

* * *

**You want to know what I love? When someone correctly guesses what's going to happen but there have been so many guesses in the reviews and PM's that no one knows which guess it is. I also love leaving hints that someone may have guessed what has happened causing my readers to go looking for the review when it may not exist at all. Happy hunting!**

**R&amp;R**


	28. Chapter 28

**I hate my current job, they had me wake up at 6:00 in the morning so I could make it in at 7 and they had me working until 2. Man, am I tired. Hopefully I can still work on the next chapter and have this story done before the hiatus ends but let me get to the reviews so I can do just that.**

**H. Mae: Well I never actually said that they were bullets per say, just that it was purified silver. Also I like you hypothesis on what is going on, I can't wait to see your reaction. Also I really liked the picture you made for chapter 25.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**Sabrina06: You know I can't tell if your referring to the people in the story or the actual readers but I love it either way.**

**retrofan1: Wait … there is one silhouette and two hooded figures at this point … so which one do you think is the queen?**

**Your Fellow Thespian: Predictions are amazing … so amazing … and also interesting.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yes, yes it is.**

**MegaRocker101: Well I already have a beta for this story so I'm not looking for a beta.**

**Guest: Well if you want someone to do it then why not do it yourself?**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I was walking down the hall, on my way to lunch by myself. Marco and I had been extremely distant ever since I missed his tournament, but I was hoping that all he needed was time to cool off. In the meantime, there was Mathew's proposition to consider. "If Mathew was on my side, then it will help to deal with Roy and Lannister … then again, what exactly is he asking of me?"

"Star!" I heard someone say, as footsteps approached me. I turned slightly to see Mathew trying to catch up to me. "It's good to see you safe."

"Safe?" I asked.

He caught up to me, and slowed down so that he was walking with me. "I heard about yesterday, one of my followers informed me about the events."

"So then you know about the sterilized silver?" I accused.

He let out a small sigh and nodded slowly. "I'll admit, I knew Roy was planning to … sterilize silver to use as a weapon; but that was back when we were still working as one unit. I was against it on grounds that I didn't want to fight you, Lannister was against it on the grounds that it wouldn't be efficient. Sad to say, I wasn't opposed to it on moral grounds until I knew how special silver really was."

"But you still knew he was doing it?" I accused once more.

He shook his head. "I didn't know he still had the resources to go through with it, I should have known better."

"We all miss things from time to time." I replied. "All that matters is that Roy is stopped."

Mathew looked in front of him, with a concerned look on his face. "All things considered … Roy … might not be the most pressing threat."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

He looked around at all the other students walking to lunch. "I don't trust the cover of ambient conversation to mask information this important from prying ears. Could we talk about this … in a more secure area?"

I was about to turn him down so that I could sit with all my friends, but I remembered that Marco probably wouldn't want to see me right now anyway. "Sure."

We continued into the lunch room, got our food and made our way to the same table we sat at yesterday. "Is this secure enough?" I asked.

He looked around to make sure that no one was listening in before responding. "It will be enough." I began eating as he began explaining. "You see Star, … one of the cult's storehouses was hit yesterday."

"Say what?" I muttered with a mouth full of food. I swallowed before continuing. "You guys have storehouses?"

"A few." He began. "This one in particular was forgotten about, until Lannister went over some records and realized that some stuff was missing from our inventory."

"You guys have records?" I asked.

"For materials, yes. Thing is, Lannister found the abnormalities and decided to investigate, he had to bring Roy and myself in on it because he thought that one of us was behind it. I found that we had a storehouse that we hadn't used in a very long time. We all go to see it for ourselves, and we found that some supplies were missing."

"What kind of supplies?" I asked before taking another bite of lunch.

He began playing with his fingers before answering. "You're not going to like this … we were missing a sample of sterilized silver."

"What!?" I snapped. "You had sterilized silver and you forgot about it?"

"It was an early sample and we don't know who took it. I think it was one of Roy's men; but seeing as I got the information about the silver from a spy I have in his ranks, I couldn't confront him about it without giving away the fact that there are people in all camps that are loyal to me." He shook his head. "That's not the only interesting thing though, Lannister also collected a number of materials from the storehouse that were on his list."

"So?" I asked. "He got more of the things he needed, how is that more important than the missing silver?"

"Because everything in that storehouse was on that list, and he didn't take all of it!"

"Maybe it was expired?"

"Everything in that storehouse was expired. The only thing that would definitely be of use was the sterilized silver. Everything else would only have a remote chance of working."

"So he took it in front of you? Doesn't he know that you have the list?"

He paused as he played with his mystery meat. "Actually … he doesn't, I got this list from someone in Lannister's group who is still loyal to peaceful negotiations with you. The fact that Lannister wasn't careful must mean that he doesn't know I have it yet."

"You said the long list means that he does know." I reminded him.

"I said that it meant he would find out … which he hasn't yet." He clarified. "Meaning that I still have an advantage."

"What items did he take?" I asked.

He paused, and then sighed. "The only thing they really have in common … is that they're organic … other than that … nothing. He didn't even take all the organic stuff." He folded his fingers. "So … I hate to bring this up but …"

"Have I thought about your proposition?" I asked. He nodded and I rolled my eyes. "Well … it's not like I'm not open to it … but the thing is …"

"A rumor has started to spread." He interrupted. "Some have begun saying that I'm working to take down the entire cult."

"What?" I asked. "That's not true; you're just working against Roy and Lannister like they are to you."

"They have progress." Mathew responded. "Lannister has his items, Roy has his force, I have nothing but an idea and that doesn't inspire confidence."

"But it's the best idea any of the cult leaders have." I responded.

"Ideas don't win battles Star, results do. Roy has … technically defeated you and would have you were it not for my operatives whose loyalty is starting to strain." I was about to say something again but he preempted me. "Even if I do somehow manage to buy time, I still don't have the necessary forces or … anything … to stop either Roy or Lannister."

"But … if I say yes …" I paused. "What exactly would I … be doing?"

He laughed a little. "Well … you'd be our queen." My eyes opened in shock at his statement.

"Your … queen?!" I asked incredulously.

"You are a princess, are you not?" He asked. "So you will become a queen either way. All we ask is that you let us serve you. If you say no then … second best option is Roy or Lannister's idea."

"Are those my only options?" I asked as I looked down. "Choose which of you three wins?"

"I wish I could tell you that I would tell you if I knew another way." Mathew stated. "But … I want to serve you, so a statement like that … couldn't be trusted."

I looked up to see Mathew looking genuinely sad. "All right." I replied. "I'll give them a chance."

Mathew looked up in shock. "You … you will?"

"Only a chance." I finished. "If they prove to be as crazy as Lannister, or Roy, then I will walk away."

"Thank you Star." Mathew said as he took a shaky breath. "I can't thank you enough."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(After school)

I was walking home with Stella. Star had taken the bus; and I for one was happy to not have to deal with her right now. "Why couldn't we take the bus?" Stella asked.

"I never said you couldn't, I only said that I wasn't." I answered.

"But why?" She asked again.

"Do you need to ask?" I asked.

"Fine then." She retorted. "Why are you still mad at Star?"

"She's keeping things from me!" I retorted. "Important things, like Jackie and the cult. She put all of us in danger by not telling us about the second one."

"Says the guy that got his rear handed to him by an over-sized mushroom, and nearly drowned after." I stopped walking as Stella continued. "Not to mention you have no idea why she kept the whole thing about Jackie from you, maybe she knows something important that would break your heart even more."

I let out a sigh. "That … that might not be true."

"You still don't know that, Marco." She exclaimed.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked. "Whether Star knows we know or not, the cult is still out there; and is still a threat that needs to be dealt with."

* * *

**Alright, now to work on the next chapter, also I have to fix a little something in something so I might take a little longer then I thought.**

**R&amp;R**


	29. Chapter 29

**Well that interview was stressful, but now it's over and I can work on my fanfiction until my next one. In other news, has anyone else seen the new clips for Blood Moon Ball? I did and I am excited and nervous because … reasons. Now to get to the reviews.**

**skylarheart87: Thanks but I actually posted the story when I came back from work, but thank you all the same.**

**Check MEOW: Glad to see you're so devoted.**

**H. Mae: Yes, I know it's you, also I know I should probably not be saying that so much. Deep down, Mathew isn't a bad guy, he just loves Star as much as the rest of us. Oh, I have something interesting that you might want to see in the next chapter then. Actually Roy isn't going to explain what they are going to do with that until after the final chapter and he breaks out of prison on detention island and joins the redemption squad to stop Thailog as for his plan of what to do with her, well … he'll explain that in his final confrontation with Marco before killing him … I can't have a straight face while saying any of that. You will find out what will happen when I tell you, no sooner unless you figure it out.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Maybe, maybe not.**

**MegaRocker101: You know me so well.**

**kitsune king jr: I love it when two reviews contrast each other on accuracy.**

**retrofan1: Well I know who it is, I've known since the beginning who it is.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I was walking down the school hallway as people began greeting me, with their usual greetings; some gave me pie, some bragged about how much they adored me, some asked me to zap them, and some asked if I would be throwing a party any time soon. "It's always nice when people stop to say hello." I said as I walked.

"I see you're enjoying yourself." I heard someone say. I looked to my side to see Mathew walking right next to me; which caught me by surprise.

"Mathew!" I exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"I was here the whole time." He responded. "You just haven't noticed me."

"Well please say 'hi' next time, instead of scaring me."

"As you wish." He responded. "So, what do you think of them?"

"Them?" I asked as I looked back at the other students. "They're nice and fun to be around I guess."

"Glad to see you are comfortable around them." He added. "I was afraid you would be ... uneasy."

"Why is-" I paused and looked back at all the students who were now on their way to class. "You mean … they're your section of the cult?"

"Most of them yes, like I said, very few follow me."

"But … I … I didn't expect them to go to this school."

He looked at me and laughed. "A lot of our group goes to this school Star, the only one I can think of that I know doesn't, is Roy himself."

I turned to look forward. "I … I guess I simply didn't expect-"

"That we would be so normal?" He asked. "The truly crazed ones follow Lannister or Roy because they have the truly crazed plan."

"Speaking of which, any more information on Lannister's plan? Or where Roy keeps his sterilized silver?"

"Sadly nothing on Roy, but if Lannister ever found out that Roy got back to working with sterilized silver without asking, then he would probably excommunicate him."

"He needs permission?" I asked. "I thought you all did your own thing."

"For the most part, yes, but we are still one cult and we are basically competing to be the leader. That being said, the leader would have the ability to remove anyone they want; if they had a reason. As such, we would like to keep a productive relationship with the others."

"But if you … 'win' then you would remove Lannister and Roy along with the other radicals."

He stopped and turned to look at me. "If I win, then you would be the one leading us, and you would be able to remove Lannister and Roy ... if you see fit."

"If they haven't been removed already." I said with a laugh.

"You mean when you thwart their plans?" He asked. "Exactly what do you plan to do with them after that? Sterilizing silver, although immoral, isn't illegal on earth."

"Damn." I said as I looked down. "Well what can we do with them?"

"An excommunication would only anger them; but Roy's only power comes from his men. Lannister on the other hand is crafty and if he has a plan, then you can be sure that unless he's taken out of the picture, he's going to enact it."

"That means I'll need to think about this."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(After school)

I was exiting the school, along with Marcus and Stella. I recently had an idea about Roy's operations and I was eager to check it out.

"What are we doing again?" Marcus asked.

"I already told you, Roy has to have a forge if he wants to make any weapons out of his purified silver, right? So maybe he's using the abandoned mill on the other edge of town."

"You're kidding, right? You don't need a mill, you can smelt most metals in a garage if you have the right equipment, heck, I could smelt it in my garage if I wanted to." Marcus replied.

"True but why go after the supplies when they're already available." I answered. "It's still a long shot, but I think it's worth checking out."

"But he has dimensional scissors Marco." Marcus began. "Wouldn't it be smarter to work with the silver in another dimension to make it easier to hide?"

"If that's the case, why didn't he hide the purified silver there?" Stella asked. "Sure it's a long shot but it's worth a look."

"Fine." Marcus said in defeat. "But what exactly is this purified silver? All you've told me is that it's dangerous."

"It's silver that has had all its magical properties removed, and because of that, it … is … effective against magic?"

"How exactly?"

I shrugged. "I'm … not sure … that's what the label said."

"Right." Marcus replied. "For all you know this might just be a wild goose chase."

I took off my backpack and began fishing through it for the silver. "Well how about this?" I said as I pulled out a bag with the few chunks we had. As I held the bag, I felt the same emptiness I felt before; making me want to drop it, or throw it as far as humanly possible.

As Marcus saw the bag, he began taking a few steps away, even though the bag wasn't transparent meaning that he too felt the emptiness coming from the silver. "What the hack is in that bag?" Marcus demanded.

"A few chunks of the silver." I answered. "It's all we found but … you can tell that there's something odd about it."

"I get the feeling that you have a severed head in there or … no … it's worse than that."

I out placed the bag back in my backpack. "So you see why we have to keep the cult from making this stuff or turning it into weapons."

"Yeah, I see, but how are we going to get there? Do you expect us to keep walking all the way?"

"Actually, we're already here." I pointed out as we approached the building.

Marcus looked at it in disbelief. "How … but … we were at the school only a few moments ago."

"It was an exposition." Stella explained as she and I began walking towards the abandoned steel mill.

"Exposition?" Marcus asked. "But an exposition is an explanation, it is not, in and of itself, an explanation as to how we got here so fast."

"Right, sorry, it was dramatic tension." I replied.

"Still not right."

"He meant it was an cliffhanger." Stella answered again.

"You know being horrible at breaking the forth wall doesn't excuse you from breaking the fourth wall." He shouted as he chased after us.

When we got to the door, Stella and I quickly flanked it while Marcus stood further to the side, next to Stella. I opened the door, just a bit, to look inside to find it empty for the most part. "All right, let's go." I said before opening the door further and going in. Stella followed, and then Marcus. The building was big; but mostly cleared out. There were two second story catwalks and a few old machines built into the walls; but other than that, it looked empty.

"I don't think anyone has been here in years." Marcus said as he swiped some dust off one of the machines.

"They still might have been here for some equipment, let's take a look around."

I walked off to a nearby office, while Marcus looked at some of the old machinery and Stella looked around the floor. The office was as bare as one would think; a few filing cabinets, a desk, and a computer that looked like it was old back when dinosaurs ruled the world. What really caught my attention though was a piece of paper that was left on the desk. It was free from dust, meaning that it had to be recent and as I looked at it, it turned out to be a manifest of some sort. I could tell that this belonged to the cult based on the fact that purified silver was listed as one of the items. The manifest listed that they had at least half a ton of silver, but only a small portion of that was purified. "Why on earth would they have so little?" I asked myself. "According to this, they only have enough for … maybe five weapons."

"MARCO!" Marcus shouted. "I think I've found something that you'll want to see."

I folded the paper and put it into my pocket as I walked out the door. Marcus was standing in the center of the factory floor, and was looking up like he had seen a ghost. "What is it?" I asked as I walked over to him. He pointed to the second story catwalk and when I looked up at it, I couldn't believe what who was standing there, looking down at us. "ROY!" I exclaimed.

The blue haired cultist laughed as he looked down at us. "Hello Marco, I haven't seen you since you sabotaged my recruitment meeting."

"When did you get here?" Marcus asked. "I'm fairly sure we didn't set off any alarms."

"Seriously?" He asked with a smile. "You just happen to wonder into my place of business and not expect me here?"

"So this is where you're purifying the silver!" I exclaimed.

"So you know about that too then?" He asked. "Tell me, has Star brought you in on this yet, or are you working without her?"

"That's none of your business!" I shot back.

"You're right." He said with a smile. "If she had brought you in on this, then she would be here right now."

"Why are you purifying silver?" I demanded. "And what do you plan to do with half a ton of it?"

"Um, capture Star?" He stated sarcastically. "I need a prison if I want to hold her, and purified silver seems to work wonders on magic."

"She's not some animal for you to capture for your own wants, she's a living breathing human being!"

"We had this argument before Marco." Roy stated. "And I still don't care. Once I purify the rest of the silver, she will be mine, and you will be gone."

"Why wait?" Marcus asked. "Why not just purify the rest of the silver and start on your jail?"

"You don't know how hard it is to purify silver, do you?" He asked.

"I don't know much about it to begin with, so enlighten me, how do you remove the magic from silver?" Marcus replied.

Roy laughed. "You really don't know much, do you? We don't remove the magic, that's like trying to remove the soul from a living being. No, to get the magic out of silver you must burn it away."

"Say what?" Marcus and I asked simultaneously.

"I said the magic has to be destroyed from within, that's the only way to purify silver."

"That's sterilizing!" Marcus snapped. "It's not purified, it's sterilized!"

"That's what the other leaders call it, matter of fact, if they found out then they would be so cross with me."

"Then why tell us?" I asked. "We could go to them and-"

"Go to whom?" He asked. "Who are the other leaders of the cult? And on that note, does Star even know you are fighting us? Not that it would do you any good if she did, she already knows that I have an amount of the stuff but she couldn't do anything about it either."

Just then, Stella, who had been sneaking up on Roy while he was talking, tried to slam Roy's face into the guardrail, only for Roy to grab her arm and swing her into a chicken wing, while holding her over the side of the rail. "And did you honestly expect me to fall for such a cheap trick? 'Keep him talking so that our teammate can get the jump on him' I saw that one coming a mile away."

"Stella!" I shouted.

"Now be a good friend and surrender." Roy demanded. "And you." He said as he turned to Marcus. "Drop ALL of your fireworks right now ... or she goes over the edge."

Marcus took off his hoodie revealing the scars on his arms and began shaking it. From his hoodie fell three display tubes, five wheels, ten roman candles, and an uncountable number of rockets.

"Good." Roy said with a smirk. "Now I'm going to call my cultists and-" Stella interrupted him by spinning out of the chicken wing; and spinning him into one. As she was about lock him into it however, he threw his weight over the rail forcing Stella to let go; and for him to fall.

His fall was fast but frightening, sure Roy was evil but he was still human and when his body collided with the floor I couldn't believe what had happened. Before any of us could react though, he began to move and slowly he got up. "Man, that was exhilarating." He said as he got to his feet.

"What the heck!" Marcus exclaimed.

"He can't be human." I said as I took a step back.

"Or he has a patron." I heard Monster Arm say. "Kind of like I am to you."

Roy looked over at me and began to walk in my direction.

"I see where this is going." I said as I cracked my knuckles once.

"You should know when to run." Roy replied as he continued walking.

"I'm not running from you." I said as I cracked my knuckles again.

"I also see where this is going Marco." Monster Arm replied. "And just so you know, I have no idea who his patron would be, or how strong he is unless he demonstrates other powers."

I cracked my knuckles a third time and felt Monster Arm's power surge through me. "I am going to wipe the floor with you." I said with a leer.

"I'd like to see you try." Roy replied with a laugh.

"Then let's have at it!" Roy and I charged into battle.

* * *

**And so ends the … wait … it's a cliffhanger? Man, we can't have that. I will post immediately, and by that I mean I will wait a week before doing anything with this story … Nah, I'll update soon … but not too soon … but it won't be that long … or will it? Anyway, I just got the next chapter back from my beta and she loved it so there's something else to look forward to in addition to the new episode only this will be coming out before that but you don't know when, so which one is more aggravating? Also I altered a chapter in one of my stories … and I'm not telling which one because the alteration is completely pointless and meaningless but I know that you will all hunt for it anyway even though it's impossible to find because no one remembers every chapter of all my stories.**

**R&amp;R**


	30. Chapter 30

**And it's finally here, the chapter you've all been waiting for! Seriously, you will all love it, if not then I will personally tell you absolutely nothing about the story and just ignore you and pretend that you did love it. I also realize that a new GF and SU are on tonight (anagrams are awesome) so I hope people manage to read this chapter. Now to get to the reviews.**

**H. Mae: Well I knew it was you because you leave such great reviews, also, you are the only person who has a long review style who reads this story (which is not bad, I used to have that same style (still kinda do). My response? Well there are some bits of truth in there … I think … best to ignore them unless you know me personally in which case you would be able to understand how to comprehend it, but seeing as that's not possible, I decided to talk to one of my friends and get one of them to respond and here's his response to what I could tel you about my response to your review, *ahem* "Don't listen to Loki, he is trying to get into your head and make you think what he wants you to think." He knows me so well. Kill them off? Oh, , you give me such wonderful ideas! Actually no, there is a function that allows you to replace/update chapter and it's right next to post new chapter.**

**Steel Razer: Soon, very soon.**

**aliyaperez101: Glad to hear it.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I do love me some cliffhanger.**

**MegaRocker101: If you want to give advice/pointers/what not then go ahead, that is what the review box is for after all.**

**Zues Killer Productions: I can't begin to tell you how happy I was when I opened my e-mail and saw that I had 24 new reviews for my story. Man was I happy, thank you for reading and all your reviews, sorry if I can't answer them all at the moment, I need to post and write a new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I landed the first blow, punching Roy right in the stomach, causing him to hunch over; but he quickly countered by grabbing the back of my neck and legs and flipping me onto my back. He tried to stomp on me but I rolled out of the way and scissor kicked him onto his back. I threw a punch at him while he was still on the ground, but he rolled backwards onto the upper portion of his back, then used his arms to back-flip onto his feet. "Was the back-flip really necessary?" I asked.

"Back-flips are always necessary." He responded with a smile. He rushed forward and threw a punch at my face. I leaned out of the way then quickly moved in and wrapped my arm around his back, then brought my elbow in and smashed it into his solar plexus. He arched forward, slightly, and I took that as my opportunity to nail him with another elbow strike, then a third, then a fourth, and then a fifth.

He was reeling in pain, so I let him go, and he took a few steps back. "Had enough?" I asked.

"I'm just getting started." He retorted. As he rushed forward again, I threw a punch only for him to parry it out of the way, and spin around me to land an open hand strike to my back; causing me to fall to my knees. "Not so confident now, are we?"

He then tried to wrap his arm around my throat to choke me but I grabbed it, twisted it into an arm bar, and then stood up while throwing him over my shoulder. When he landed I still had a grip on his arm and now had the edge of my foot at his neck. "You've lost." I said as I caught my breath. "It's over."

"Not today Diaz." I then felt a burning in my hands where I had grabbed him and before I knew it, the pain was so bad that I was forced to let go. He then got to his feet and ran. I followed but he pulled out his dimensional scissors and opened a portal and fled. I wasn't able to get a good enough look at the portal he fled through, but it wasn't going to do me any good, seeing as I didn't have any scissors of my own.

"He got away again." I hissed.

"Damn it." Stella said as she finally reached us. "A few more seconds and we could have double teamed him." She paused then looked over at Marcus. "Why didn't you do anything?"

"What was I supposed to do?!" Marcus retorted. "They were too fast and I could have hit Marco."

"It's fine, he lost anyway." I replied.

"Yeah, about that." Stella began. "How did you manage to go toe to toe with a guy that survived a fall from the second story and got up like it was nothing?"

""I'm actually curious about that as well." Marcus added. "But I'm even more curious as to how on earth he managed to survive that fall to begin with."

"There are a lot of questions that need answering." I said as I picked up my backpack. "But we need to find any puri- … I mean sterilized silver that he might have left behind."

Both Stella and Marcus looked at me for a moment, then walked off in opposite directions to search for any sterilized silver that Roy might have left behind.

"And you almost had him." Monster arm noted.

"I know." I responded as I walked back to the office. "But … how did he manage to burn me?"

"Must have been his patron, however, burning skin makes for a rather common ability."

"So you don't know who it could be?" I asked as I opened some cabinets.

"No, not that I would. I only know of things, I don't know specific patrons."

"That means that he would have the upper hand against me, seeing as you don't offer anything like that."

"Says who?" He asked. "I could give you the arm should you need it, I could give it to you in both arms if you so desired ... and then some."

"And then you would have complete control over those limbs."

"Not if you don't let me." He replied. "After Star cast that spell on me, I lost all control over any of your motor functions."

"I'll not use it all the same." I said as I looked through some files. "I don't want people to know that you're back just yet."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

We finished searching through the mill, and were finally on our way home; we had found a small amount of sterilized silver which Marcus was now carrying. "So how much do we have now?" I asked.

Marcus looked at the small bag he had, then back to me. "If we were to make a weapon … we could make a short sword."

"So in other words … nowhere near all if it?" I asked.

"Like they're not going to get more." Marcus retorted. "Marco, you know how easy it is to get silver?"

"It's expensive." I replied. "But they have access to dimensional scissors so they could steal it … but the process might be difficult."

"We should tell Star." Stella noted. Both Marcus and I looked at her, surprised. "She needs to know, you have to be the better person and warn her at least."

"Was I the only one listening to Roy?" I asked. "He said that Star already knows about the sterilized silver."

"Right, so there's no chance that he was lying or anything." She retorted sarcastically.

"If she knew that we were fighting the cult, then she would try and stop us." I replied.

"Then tell her you're not as weak as she thinks." Marcus added. "The only reason she's not telling you about this is because she's trying to protect you, and to be honest, if I saw my best friend nearly drowned; I would want to keep them out of danger too."

"She knows I can handle myself." I answered.

"This isn't about the cult at all, is it?" Stella asked. "This is about Jackie."

I let out a sigh. "Well … she should have told me."

"CONFRONT HER DAMN IT!" Marcus snapped, catching me off guard. "You like her, right? As a friend or more, you do like her, right?"

I shrugged a little. "Well … yeah, I do … like her."

"And you're not telling her why you're mad?" He asked. I nodded. "Then that makes you just as terrible as she is … actually, that makes you worse then she is."

"Say what?!" I said as I took a step back.

"Like her, you're keeping a secret from her; but you're angry at her for keeping a secret. She doesn't even know why you're angry, and you don't even know why she didn't tell you."

"Well maybe …" I stopped and turned away. "Maybe … I'll take care of it."

"Maybe?" Marcus asked.

"Okay fine, I will take care of it." I opened my backpack and pulled out the bag of sterilized silver. "I need you to take this." I said as I handed it to Marcus.

"Um … why?"

"Because if Star finds out that I have it, then she'll know what we've been up to."

"The same thing will happen if she finds it in my house." Marcus replied.

"But she doesn't live with you does she?" I stated.

"Fine." Marcus said as he took the bag. "But you still have to talk to Star."

"I'm not mentioning the cult."

"Fine, that's probably a good idea anyway."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later that night)

I was sitting at my desk trying to think of what I had gotten myself into;. I was taking on a cult for a girl who was supposed to be my friend, but was lying to me about a few very important things. "Why am I even doing this for her?" I asked. "Sure it's too late to back out now, but why did I bother to get involved in the first place?"

As I was talking, I heard the door creak open; I closed my eyes knowing exactly who it was. "Hey Marco." Star said weakly as she walked in. "I … Stella said that you wanted to talk to me?"

"I could have told you that myself." I said to myself. "Yeah … there is something I wanted to talk to you about." I turned around to look at her. She was in her sea-green colored dress, and was looking a little worried. "But first … is there anything that you want to tell me?" She shook her head and I laughed. "Last chance Star, is there something that you've been keeping from me that you want to share?"

"Why are you asking?" She asked.

"Is there something that you know I know, that you haven't told me, that you should have?"

"What are you getting at Marco?" She asked.

I let out a sigh. "Star … I owe you an apology … I've been mad at you for the past week … and you don't even know the reason."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?" She interrupted.

"I never said that." I explained. "But I do owe you an explanation as to why I'm upset with you."

"So … then why don't you just tell me."

I laughed then stood up. "Because … I wanted you to tell me."

"But I don't know why you're angry." She answered.

"I told you. I'm angry because you lied to me about something, and if I have to tell you, then I will still be angry with you and to be honest, I don't want to."

"Then why not just not be angry?"

"Because the world doesn't work like that. Now here's your last chance, is there something that you're not telling me, that you should be?"

She bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I … I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

I shook my head. "Why?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me that Jackie and Justin weren't dating?"

She covered her nose and mouth with her hands and paused. "Um … I … I don't know-"

"Don't lie to me again Star, you've already lied to me about something important already."

She dropped her hands and sighed. "I … I … how much do you know?"

"Are you still trying to keep things about this from me?!" I snapped. "Seriously Star, do you even grasp why what you did was wrong?"

"Fine then! Why don't you just finish lecturing me?!"

I shook my head again. "I want to know why you didn't tell me. More importantly, why did you lie to me and say that they were dating; when you were actually told to tell me that they're not dating?"

"So you found out about that too?" She asked.

"You don't even care about what you did, do you?" I asked.

"Of course I care!" She snapped. "It's why I didn't tell you in the first place!"

"FINALLY!" I exclaimed. "Now were getting somewhere; you actually admitted to what you've done."

Star sighed and waited a moment before responding. "I don't think you should be obsessing over Jackie."

"Are you really trying to say that I shouldn't be angry about this?"

"No, I'm trying to say that I lied to you because I don't think you should be fawning over Jackie. You know that even if she does like you enough to start a relationship with you, that it can't end well."

"That's not the point Star."

"That's exactly the point!" She shouted. "You asked me why and I'm telling you why. I know that it wouldn't work between you and her, what do you even know about her to begin with?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Look, I'm not going to say that you absolutely don't have a good argument, but that doesn't excuse your solution."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Um, talk to me? Like you just did? You could have come out and said it two minutes ago, when I first asked you, and we might have been able to avoid this! I definitely wouldn't have attacked you like you did when I tried to talk to you about the same thing."

"Oh, you're bringing that up? I thought we were past that."

"We were until you went and started lying to me." I turned around and closed my eyes. "We're supposed to be best friends, Star; we're supposed to trust one another."

"But I do trust you, Marco!" She pleaded. "We fought together, we adventured together, we had fun together! What more proof do you need that I trust you?"

I turned around and walked up to her, so that I could look her in the eye. "You could have proven it right here; too bad you don't have any more secrets that you're trying to protect me from. You actually might still be able to, if you know what I'm talking about."

I didn't think I could be any less discreet, but I wanted her to tell me about the cult. I wanted her to bring me in on it, so I could tell her that I already know, and how much I've already done. I wanted to tell her that I still had her back, I wanted so badly right now, for nothing more than a simple reason to hug her. But alas, she shook her head. "I'm sorry Marco; I don't know what you're talking about." She walked out of the room closing the door behind her.

As she walked out I fell to my knees and tears began to escape. "Why?" I asked softly. "Why couldn't she tell me? Why couldn't she just trust that I can help her with the cult? Why couldn't she … why wouldn't she see just how much I care about her?"

* * *

(Star's POV)

I ran back to my room and threw myself onto my bed and started crying. "Congratulations Star, you managed to Star this up more than anything else you've ever Stared up in your entire life!" I said as I buried my face into my pillow. "I wish I never fell in love with Marco. That way I would never have kept that thing about Jackie from him, and we would still be friends."

"You what?!" I heard someone ask from my door.

I lifted my head and looked over to see Stella standing there, with a shocked look on her face. "STELLA!" I exclaimed. "Why did you open my door?"

"You didn't close it." She responded. "And you passed by me in the hall, and I asked you how it went."

I froze. "I … didn't notice."

Stella still had a look of shock as she looked at me. "And … you just said … but then … and that … but … and … he … you … you love Marco?"

I jumped out of bed and grabbed Stella's shirt. "Please please please please please please please please please please please please please! Don't tell Marco."

"Oh don't worry." She said as she raised her hands in defense. "I don't want to touch this with a ten foot pole."

I let go of her shirt and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that's good to hear."

"Them on the other hand." She began as she pointed to her right, where Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were standing, with guilty looks on their faces. "They … might be another story." I looked at Mr. and Mrs. Diaz and felt like my life had completely ended. "So …" Stella began as she took a few steps away. "I'm … going to go and … take a shower." She hurried off in the direction of the bathroom as I stared blankly at Mr. and Mrs. Diaz.

Mr. Diaz laughed slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Um … we weren't eavesdropping on yours and Marco's conversation or anything."

"And we didn't overhear anything you just said." Mrs. Diaz added.

Both of them slowly walked away a little, before making a B-line for their room. "This is horrible." I said as I closed the door, making sure that it was fully closed this time. "This day could not possibly get any worse." I said as I walked back to my bed. "There is nothing that could possibly happen that could make this day any worse than it already is."

Just then, my mirror turned on, showing my mother. "Ah, Star, I'm glad I managed to reach you. I wanted to go over the importance of proper standing position again."

I slowly turned to my mirror, before turning back to my bed. "Why did I say anything?" I asked. "Why on Earth, or Mewnie, or anywhere else in the universe, did I say that this day couldn't get any worse?"

* * *

**I'm really curious to see peoples responses but before you get all excited just know, my next chapter was just sent to beat reading five seconds after you read this and should be ready … before the end of the week. It is my longest chapter for this story thus far so please be patient. I won't be able to finish this story by my deadline sadly (even though it's my second deadline I just can't go fast enough). Now before I go and procrastinate the next chapter I have something to say, if ANYONE ever mentions that shadow of the colossus has a PS4 port, then this story is going on an instant hiatus.**

**R&amp;R**


	31. Chapter 31

**So here is the next chapter and I feel like I'm on a role. This is also the longest chapter I've written so far for this story so I hope you enjoy. Anyway, I'm hoping that I can at least get to the part I want to get to before the new episode airs this Monday but whatever happens happens. Now for the reviews.**

**Bigmike33321: I only made that comment because I've been procrastinating with a videogame which I just beat and I've been interested in shadow of the colossus for some time and if I ever get the chance to play it then I will have to put a hold on this story until I beat it.**

**Shelton: Thank you.**

**MegaRocker101: I've been trying to do that but I have difficulty with adding things like that.**

**skylarheart87: The only bad theory is a theory that you don't believe in.**

**H. Mae: I also saw your picture on tumbler and I really liked it. Well, you know me, I'm not going to spoil anything. Um … they did say that the candidates were Oscar, Marco, and Marcus, in addition to the cult leader who volunteered so … how do you think they are after three people? You do have an interesting theory (or five) and I would love to address it but I fear that I may spoil something but I like your idea of locking them in a closet.**

**Zues Killer Productions: You will find out.**

**JollyPayton: Ha … feel trip.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well … this isn't exactly what love is but you will find out why this is happening later … I think.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I will.**

**retrofan1: Thank you.**

** : No, he didn't hear that.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day; after school)

I had arrived at the pier, so I could have a place to think, by myself. Avoiding Star wasn't difficult, she was doing her best to avoid me, not too surprisingly; but I still felt like last night could have gone much better. "Why didn't she tell me?" I asked myself when I arrived.

"Who are you talking about?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I looked over to see Jackie walking toward me.

"Of course." I said to myself. "It's nothing important, just … an argument I had with Star."

"Another argument?" She asked. "And you two aren't even a couple yet, or did I miss that?"

"No, we're not a couple." I replied. "And after that last argument, I doubt we ever will be." I froze as I realized what I just said. "Um … that is if I wanted to have a relationship with Star."

"Don't try to play dumb with me, Marco." She replied. "The last time I asked if you had feelings for Star, you told me that you don't know; now you're telling me that you don't?"

"That was before I found out about-" I stopped myself before I said too much. "About … something she didn't tell me."

"You mean about Justin and me not dating?" She asked.

"What?" I asked enviously. "What … what would that have to do with it?"

She shook her head as she sighed. "Marco … do you think I'm blind, or just stupid?"

"Um … nether?" I replied.

"Then do you really think I haven't noticed that you have a crush on me?"

I felt my body go cold as she spoke, truthfully, I knew I wasn't being discreet at all, but I honestly never thought that she would actually find out. "I … um … well …"

She held out a hand and looked away. "Let me stop you right there." She lowered her hand and looked at me. "Look Marco … you're sweet and all … but … I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now." She looked out towards the sea. "My life is complicated enough."

"You mean the whole mermaid thing?" I asked.

"Yeah." She laughed then looked away from the sea. "But enough about me, what happened between you and Star? And don't keep anything from me."

I sighed, then looked down. "Well, you kind of guessed a bit of it. Star lied to me when she said that you were dating Justin, right after I found out from you that you weren't. I confronted her about it and … I asked her if she had anything else to tell me like … three times, and she still didn't confess. So I came out and told her and …" I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip. "She said that she didn't tell me because she thought that I shouldn't be trying to go out with you." I sighed and lowered my head. "But now I'm guessing that you told her that you knew … that I had feelings for you."

"Yeah." She responded sheepishly.

I sighed and hung my head again. "Now I kinda understand where she was coming from … even though it's still not right, I shouldn't have yelled at her like I did."

"So just apologize and be friends again." She replied.

"There's more." I answered. "I … we were … attacked … "

"Attacked?" She asked.

"Yeah, Star inspired a cult that she neglected to tell me about. They took us by surprise. When they first ambushed us, Marcus didn't have many spare fireworks handy and Stella wasn't there; meaning that I had to fend them off myself." I paused as I turned to look at her. "I barely managed."

"How do you know Star knew about it?"

"Because she was attacked by them, twice, before they attacked us. I know that knowledge is second hand from a captured cultist; but the second time she was attacked coincides with when she wasn't able to make it to my tournament, so I know that's at least right."

"So you're angry at her for not warning you then? Seriously? It feels like you're grasping at any reason you can to be angry at her."

"I WANT HER TO TELL ME!" I exclaimed. "She's been keeping this from me, for whatever reason, and I want to help her." I turned to look out at the sea.

There was a small pause as the waves crashed against the side of the pier. "Are you really angry at her?"

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. "Not anymore."

"Then you should apologize; tell her you're sorry for yelling at her, or whatever, and that you want to be friends again."

"Not until I've taken Roy down." I replied. "He's gathering anti-magic metal to construct a cell to hold Star. Lord only knows what he plans to do with her when he has her."

"All the more reason to tell her!" Jackie exclaimed.

"All the more reason to keep this to myself. Even if I do tell her, her magic is no use against these guys with their sterilized silver."

"Please tell me you didn't just say sterilized silver." Jackie asked, concern present in her voice.

"Yeah, why?"

She looked out towards the sea. "My mom once told me about it, back when I still had my tail. Removing the magic from silver is sacrilegious. Not even a cult, especially one dedicated to Star, would do something like that."

"It's just this one guy, and his followers, are probably blind to it. I've already fought him once, next time I see him, he's going down."

"You sound like this is personal."

"It is." I said as I grabbed the handrail. "I won't let him hurt Star." I tightened my grip on the handrail. "I will protect her from him even if it kills me."

"Marco." Jackie said as she pointed to my hands.

I looked down to see that they had turned red. "Oh." I let go to see that I had left an indent in the metal from where I was grabbing. "I guess I'm more committed than I thought."

"You remind me of a knight." She said with a smile. "Kinda noble and dedicated to a cause."

"Yeah well, my cause is to protect my best friend, it's a cause that anyone can get behind."

"How much do you care for her?" Jackie asked.

"How do you mean?" I asked back.

"Same way I meant before." She responded. "Do you love her?"

I looked away and thought about the question. "Does it matter? After what I said to her, she probably hates my guts. Not to mention, she's a princess; not like I would have a chance with her anyway."

"Are you seriously avoiding my question?"

Just then, I heard my phone ring with the Space Unicorn's ring tone. "Really?" I asked as I reached into my pocket.

"Is that your ring tone?" Jackie asked, amused.

"Yes it's my ring tone." I replied. I held the phone to my ear and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Marco." I heard Janna reply.

"Hi Janna." I answered.

"Janna?" Jackie asked.

"Yes, it's Janna." I told Jackie.

"Is that Jackie?" Janna asked. "Marco, are you cheating on me?"

"I'm not cheating on you, Janna." I answered.

"You're dating Janna?" Jackie asked.

"No I'm not dating Janna." I told Jackie.

"Marco, you wound me." Janna replied. "And here I thought we had something special."

"Janna!" I exclaimed. "Please be serious for a moment."

"Fine." She began. "I found something out about the cult that I think you might find highly interesting."

"And that would be?" I asked.

"Did you forget our agreement? I'll tell you what I know during our date, that way you can't chicken out on me."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, can you give me a preview?"

"A preview?" She asked. "Well … I can tell you that I managed to find out where Roy's main base of operation is … as well as some other information involving another leader, that I know you will find interesting."

I smiled and leaned against the railing. "Janna, have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"You could mention it more often." She said with a laugh. "I'm free around seven, if you are."

"Cool, you know that Japanese place near the center of town?"

"Japanese? Really?" She asked unimpressed.

"It's formal enough, trust me."

"You'd better be right, or you owe me a movie as well."

"Fair enough." I answered. "I'll see you tonight then?"

"See you tonight." She hung up.

I put my phone away and let out a sigh of relief. "So, you and Janna, huh?" Jackie asked.

"It's not what you think!" I replied defensively. "She's just helping me gather information on the cult … it's not like I'm dating her or anything."

"Sure you're not, she's just helping you take down a cult that plans on capturing your 'friend'; and is putting herself in danger to do it."

"Exactly!" I replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get home and get ready." I turned away and began walking.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

I was heading home to get ready to go out with Janna; if she really did have the location of Roy's base, then this was all going to end soon.

"Marco." I heard Monster Arm begin. "Tell me, do you think you can really take Roy?"

"I did before." I replied.

"That was in hand to hand AND it was a fair fight. He has a patron like you do, which he did not access to its full potential; and you will be fighting on his terms, seeing as it's at his home base. The odds will be against you."

"I'll have Marcus and Stella with me, not to mention that I'll have your help."

"I still feel uneasy about this."

"You worry too much." I replied.

As I walked, I heard the familiar sound of a portal being cut open. I quickly looked around and saw Ludo himself, standing in front of a portal, with his minions emerging. "Well if it isn't the karate kid." Ludo greeted.

"What do you want, Ludo?" I asked. "Can't you see Star's not here?"

"I'm not here for Star." He replied. "If my last attack taught me anything, it's that I shouldn't be taking on all of Star's body guards at once." He smiled maliciously as the last of his minions emerged from the portal. "I need to take you all out one at a time, if I'm to get the wand."

"That's a particularly stupid plan Ludo." I replied. "As soon as Star finds out, none of us are going to travel alone."

"Right, because she's totally going to find out from your dead corpse." Ludo replied sarcastically. "Attack!" He demanded, causing all his minions to charge.

Deer Beard and Emmitt were the first to reach me. I kicked Dear Beard in the gut and punched Emmitt in the face; causing both of them to fall over. "That's not what I meant." I said as I side stepped a charging Bearicorn. "Even if you do beat me, and kill me, Star will know what you did and put two and two together herself." I rolled out of the way of Three-eyed Potato Baby, then punched Big Chicken in the stomach. "Not to mention how vengeful she'll be after she finds out that her best friend is dead."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." He replied.

I rolled my eyes and kicked Buff Frog, before turning to Three-eyed Potato Baby; who was charging me. Before he reached me however, I was tackled by a bunch of Mushren. "Did you forget about me?" Fungus Armungious asked as he moved right in front of me.

"Nope." I said as I cracked my neck once. "I was hoping you would be back." I cracked my neck a second time. "I really wanted a rematch." I cracked my neck a third time then sent all the Mushren flying as I threw them off. "Now, where were we?" **I believe that he cracked his knuckles to activate Monster Arm**

"I have more Mushren than that." He said as more grew on his back.

I rushed forward and nailed the giant turtle fungus in the face, with a punch causing him to go limp. When he fell to the ground I turned to the remaining minions and cracked my knuckles. "Who's next?"

Emmitt stepped forward and smiled as he cracked his knuckles. Before he could even draw his sword however, Boulder Blast came in and knocked him to the side. "Boulder Blast will blast you into blasting powder."

"That doesn't even make sense." I retorted.

Boulder Blast tried to smash me but I managed to roll out of the way. I charged him, and was about to hit him right where the kidney would be, when Monster Arm interrupted. "Marco, stop!" He shouted causing me to catch myself right before I made contact with him.

I rolled out of the way of another smash attempt from Boulder Blast. "What gives?" I asked quietly.

"He's too solid, you will break your arm if you hit him, even with my added strength."

I rolled my eyes and dodged another squash attempt. "I can't keep this up all day." I replied.

"Then run! You can't take them on with strength, speed, and skill alone."

Boulder Blast raised all four of his arms and tried to squash me, but I back flipped out of the way and sighed. "If you give me the arm, can it return to normal?" I asked quietly.

"Yes but Ludo will see." Monster Arm answered.

I looked at Boulder Blast and the additional minions behind him. "Looks like I have no choice." I pulled up my sleeve and took a breath. "Do it."

There was a pause before Monster Arm replied. "As you wish." I felt a surge run through me but this one was different, on top of that, my arm didn't transform either.

Boulder Blast began charging and I was at a loss, my arm was still normal; even though I could tell something inside me had changed. "Damn it, what's going on?" I asked.

Just as Boulder Blast was on top of me I realized what had happened. I smiled then quickly slid under him as he was charging then got to my feet just in time to turn my arm into a tentacle, and wrap it around his legs while he was charging, causing him to fall on his face. "Nice." I said as my arm changed back to normal. "I can change it to and fro at will, that's much better."

Before I could continue to admire this new power, branches sprouted out of the ground and restrained me. "Non hoc tempus!" Splinter Birch shouted.

I looked around trying to find him, when I found Talon charging at me with his claws. I transformed my arm and busted out of the branches, just in time to avoid Talon's attack, which tore the remaining branches to bits. "That gives me an idea." I said as I looked at Talon and Splinter Birch. Splinter Birch hadn't fully regrown and was roughly the size of Talon, which worked out in my favor. Talon came at me again, just as Splinter Birch tried to restrain me ... again. I managed to dodge Splinter Birche's branches, and at the same time, grab onto Talon with my tentacle arm. I used his momentum, and my arm, as a tether to swing him around; and cause him to go flying into Splinter Birch. The crash broke Splinter Birch from his roots and knocked Talon out. "Is that all you've got?" I asked.

Ludo's remaining minions looked on in shock, but didn't retreat just yet; Spikeballs in particular rushed up to me and tried to smash me into the ground with one of his spikes. I side stepped with ease, then wrapped my arm around the back of his head and threw him into the ground face first.

I looked over at Man Arm, who was still charging at me, and smiled at his futility. I transformed my arm back into a regular arm, and took a deep breath as I pulled it back to my hip. Just as he was upon me, I threw a punch and transformed my arm back into a tentacle, which hit him with enough force to send him flying into a nearby telephone pole.

"Ha, this is too-" I was interrupted by a punch, which blindsided me and sent me flying a short distance.

"Go red boy!" I heard someone shout. I opened my eyes and looked over to see Lobster Claws standing there, shadow boxing at me.

"YOU!" I shouted. I flung my arm at him in an attempt to wrap around him but he caught it with his claws and began to squeeze his pincers; causing incredible pain. I began grinding my teeth as I pulled my arm free and transformed it back to a regular arm, I looked at it to see that there were now two red marks where Lobster Claws had grabbed me.

I looked over at Lobster Claws, who was a little too happy with what he had done. "Go red boy, go red boy, GO RED BOY!"

He began running towards me, in his backwards running manner, and I clenched my fists. "No." I whispered. I ran up to him and transformed my arm into a tentacle and managed to wrapped it around him, without him getting his pincers on it. "Finally!" I shouted, as rage continued to fill me. "We gave you a chance to be good Lobster Claws, and you decided to stab us in the back." I lifted him into the air and began to squeeze, causing him to scream in agony. "But Star thinks there's still good in you … why don't we crack open that shell and see just how much, shall we?"

"Have mercy!" Lobster Claws pleaded.

"I've already tried to help you once." I said as his shell started to crack. "And you punched me in the face."

Lobster Claws cried out in agony as his shell continued to crack. "MARCO! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Monster Arm shouted, causing me to come to my senses. I dropped Lobster Claws and saw the cracks reaching right up to his neck.

"What have I done?" I asked.

"Retreat!" Ludo shouted as he opened a portal to his own dimension. All the monsters began running except Lobster Claws who just sat there, motionless. I walked up to him and tried to place a hand on his shoulder when I realized that it was still a tentacle.

I quickly took a step back and transformed my arm back as he turned to look at me. "Oh good, you're not dead."

"So you can torture me more?" He asked as he took a step back.

I tried to walk up to him to place a hand on his shoulder. "No, I didn't mean to-"

"NO!" He shouted as he jumped away. He ran towards the portal crying, and I felt horrible.

I watched as all the minions ran into the portal and it closed behind them. "What have I done?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, I tried to warn you." Monster Arm explained. "The more you access, the more your rage grows. Using the arm is particularly corrupting, so I recommend you not use it again, unless you have to."

"Yeah." I replied as I looked at my hands. "Wasn't planning on using it again anytime soon anyway." I sighed and began walking towards home; although I had just finished one deadly fight, a greater challenge was still ahead of me.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

I was in my room, going through my clothes for something semi-formal; which was proving to be harder than I thought, on account of all the hoodies. "Man, I should have thought this through." I said as I pulled out another hoodie. Eventually I found a red button down shirt, and a pair of dress pants. I had considered wearing a tie, but I didn't have one, and I didn't feel that it was really needed.

"What are you up to?" I heard someone ask from the door.

I turned around to see Stella leaning against the door, with her arms crossed and a displeased look on her face. "Hey Stella." I said as I walked over to a mirror. "Just getting ready for my … date with Janna."

"Really?" She asked a little annoyed. "I thought you didn't care about Star anymore."

"It's not that I don't care about her." I replied. I was about to start changing then I remembered that Stella was standing at the door. "Can I have a little privacy?"

Stella rolled her eyes and closed the door. "Okay then, if you still care about her, why are you still going through with this?"

"Two reasons." I replied as I began changing. "One. I gave Jana my word that I would do this, regardless of whether I was still interested in fighting the cult and I'm a man of my word."

"Point taken." Stella began. "What's the second reason?"

I looked at my door then back at the mirror. "I … regret yelling at her."

"Really?" Stella asked. "Then why did you yell at her in the first place?"

"Because at the time, I didn't have all the information; she wanted me to get over Jackie and actually had a good reason. Although her methods are still not right, they don't justify me yelling at her."

"What good reason?" She asked.

"Jackie knew that I had a crush on her, and isn't interested in going out with me." I finished getting dressed and took a moment to make sure I looked good. "I had assumed that she randomly assumed that it was a bad idea for me to date her."

"So that just excuses what she did?"

"No but it doesn't justify me yelling at her." I walked over to the door and opened it. "By the way, do you know where she is? I checked her room to apologize, but she wasn't there."

"She hasn't come home yet. Your parents are starting to worry."

I shook my head. "We really need to get her her own cell phone."

"So what do you plan to do about the cult?"

I thought to myself for a moment before answering. "Janna says that she has information on where Roy is held up, hopefully we can hit it tomorrow and be done with this."

"There's still two more leaders to deal with." Stella pointed out.

"I know." I replied. "But after Roy is dealt with, I'm telling Star everything. If she still doesn't want our help ... then I'm going to respect her wishes."

"You mean spite her by doing exactly what she wants." Stella corrected.

I sighed. "Stella … you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved. What Roy is doing to the silver is wrong. That's why I'm going to stop him; but after that … what can I do? I owe it to Star to trust her decision."

"I don't even know what's going through your head right now Marco." Stella stepped aside. "Go have fun on your date."

"Yeah, I might as well."

I began walking and Stella called out to me. "You look like a total dork by the way."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Thank you."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

I was standing in front of the Japanese restaurant, waiting for Janna to arrive; it was already seven past seven, and I was beginning to wonder if she was even going to show up. "Man I hope she shows." I said to myself. "I really want to take Roy down, once and for all."

"Well I can help with that." I heard Janna say from behind me. I turned around to see her standing there, in a simple black dress. "So are we going in or what?"

"I was waiting for you." I replied as I held out my arm. She wrapped her arm around it and we walked inside. It was a relatively small establishment, but it was still nice and most importantly, it was quiet.

"So when does the guy come and take our name?" Janna asked.

"What do you think this is? A third date?" I asked.

She laughed as we walked over to a table near the window. Within moments a waiter walked by and handed us menus. "Any idea what you want?" I asked.

"Someone's more patient than I thought." She replied. "And here I was thinking that you would be asking for information instantly."

"Well can't rush things like this now can you?" I asked. "I know that you'll give it to me at some point, no point in rushing."

"I think I'll have the sushi platter." She replied.

"Cool, I'm going to get the chicken teriyaki." I replied. Within a few minutes the waiter returned and took our orders and returned shortly with our food.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" I asked.

"Yes Marco." She replied as she ate one of her tuna rolls. "I must admit, I thought that this was going to be a letdown, but I was wrong."

"Glad you like it." I said before taking a bite of my dish. "So, how's life been?"

"Seriously?" She asked. "You're awfully patient about this, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were enjoying this."

I laughed slightly and shrugged. "Well I might as well have fun, right?"

"Marco." Janna stated. "What's the problem?"

I sighed and pushed my food around the plat a bit. "I … I had a fight with Star … one that I found out was unwarranted, now she's probably angry at me and I have no idea what to do about it."

"Did you try apologizing?"

"Haven't seen her yet." I replied.

"Do you still want to stop the cult?"

I paused before answering. "I want to stop Roy, if nothing else. He's doing some horrible things and I can't let him continue."

"Then you'll be pleased to know that he's held up in the abandoned boat house, down by the docks."

"The docks?" I asked. "What does he have there?"

"It's where he keeps his purified silver, after it's been tempered."

"Sterilized." I corrected.

"Huh?" She asked as she looked at me curiously.

"It's sterilized silver, not purified."

She crossed her fingers and rested her chin on her thumbs. "That doesn't sound good."

"Trust me, it's not." I took another bite from my plate. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"Yeah, don't go; he's got guards, and from what I heard, some aren't human."

"That doesn't surprise me." I replied. "He has access to dimensional scissors, which is something that we don't have on earth. Not to mention the process of sterilizing silver isn't something I would expect on earth either. On top of that, I saw him survive a fall from two stories and get up like it was nothing. No doubt he has something extra-dimensional helping him."

"And you still want to take him on without Star?" She asked. "You're only human after all, and I would hate to lose you."

"Yeah well … some things are worth the risk."

She let out a sigh, then looked down at the rest of her tuna rolls. "Wish I could help you with who's helping them, but no one seems to know that, except maybe Roy himself."

"Then I will have to have a talk with him after I take him down." I said with a smile. "Something else I can tell Star when I talk to her after taking Roy down."

She paused then looked at me. "That reminds me … I do have something else for you … and you're not going to like it."

"Let's hear it."

She shook her head. "I … I don't have any proof of this … but I heard from a reliable source that one of the cult leaders … has Star."

My eyes went wide as I felt a chill overtake me. "You mean they've captured her?"

"No." She replied. "And that's the strange thing, after hearing this, I saw Star walking in the hall a few minutes later. That was a few days ago."

I felt a little at ease, but still nervous. "Well then how did they capture her?"

"Not capture." She replied. "Well … not yet anyway, they only have Star, and that could mean a few things. They could have everything they need to take her or … I don't have any other theories."

"Any idea which branch?" I asked.

"Not Roy's." She replied. "It's the smaller one, so you might be in luck. I'd still warn her the next chance you get."

"I'll tell her the second I finish with Roy." I replied. "He's not getting away from me."

"You'd better win." She said as she pointed her fork at me. "I don't want to be the one to have to tell Star that it's my fault that you died."

"I have no plans on dying." I replied.

"Not many do, until it happens."

* * *

**All right, now to get to work on something and not procrastinate.**

**R&amp;R**


	32. Chapter 32

**IMPORTANT: I posted a chapter yesterday and I'm not sure that everyone was able to get to it but reading this chapter first isn't going to be that bad because it takes place at the same time. Now that that's out of the way, yes, this chapter takes place at roughly the same time as the last one but I didn't combine the two because I was too lazy. Now to get to the reviews before I fall asleep.**

**Bigmike33321: Glad you like it.**

**Zues Killer Productions: But Marco and the gang don't know that and it might just be an interesting plot point.**

**JollyPayton: I actually wrote the fight yesterday if you can believe it, although I might modify a few things before posting it.**

**Maxwell StormHeart: That was unintentional but seeing as they do share the whole, power through something else is somewhat corrupting, I'm not surprised.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well it's your lucky week; I'm in a rush so I hope to be able to post a chapter every day before the new episode airs.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Keep the good writing? Is someone going to take it? (I kid, I know you mean keep up the good writing.)**

**MegaRocker101: Glad you like it.**

**Guest: Glad you like it.**

**Snowflake: I make it as intriguing as I can.**

**H. Mae: … … … um … I'm going to send you a private message … just … just … I'll talk to you there.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Meanwhile)

School had just ended. I was sitting on a bench behind the school, with my head down. I didn't know what to do at this point, and I was at this point, hoping for a miracle. "Looks like someone had a bad day." I heard someone say from next to me. I lifted my head to see Marcus standing there, with a worried look on his face. "Is this seat taken?"

"No … it's not taken." I replied. "Make yourself at home."

Marcus took a seat beside me. "I heard yesterday that Marco was going to talk to you about something important. Based on your current position, it probably didn't end well."

"Wait." I said as I looked at him. "You knew that Marco knew about Jackie?"

Marcus looked away, slightly. "Um … well … yes, he told me." He began as he scratched the back of his head. "But he made me promise not to talk to you about it."

"I can respect that." I replied as I rested my chin on my hands. "It's the same reason I kept that thing about Jackie from Marco."

"If you were to ask me, then it was probably a bad idea. Then again, you probably knew that."

"I know. I was just trying to think of a way to convince him, the first time I told him." I sighed. "I should have put more thought into that, instead of the-" I caught myself before I revealed too much.

"Instead of what?" He asked.

"Instead of … school." I managed to squeeze out.

"Uh huh." Marcus replied, unconvinced. "So I take it simply apologizing won't help?"

"Nothing will help." I said as I rested my chin on my hands again. "I kept a big secret from him, and now he's furious with me."

"Now I kinda feel bad; I mean I was the one who said that he should confront you about it."

I lifted my head surprised. "Wait, you what?"

"He was constantly telling us how upset he was that you lied to him. It was getting kinda annoying, especially since he wasn't doing anything about it." Marcus defended.

I contemplated getting angry, but I figured that his actions didn't really change much. "I probably wouldn't have been able to tell him by the time he confronted me on his own anyway." I said as I turned away.

"Hey." Marcus began, as he slid closer to me. "Look, I don't know exactly what went down last night but … if you need anything …"

"I'm fine." I interrupted. "I just … need some … time."

"You're not going to shut me out, are you?"

I sighed and rested my chin on my hands, for the third time. "Marcus … have you ever felt … have you ever hurt the one person you care about more than anything else in the entire world?"

Marcus was silent for a moment before answering. "Yes … I have."

I was shocked at his response, but before I could say anything I caught something in the corner of my eye. As I turned to see what it was, I saw Mathew walking towards me. "Star?" Mathew asked. "Are you okay? You look sad."

"I'm fine Mathew." I replied as I stood up.

"Are you sure? If there's anything-"

"Thank you." I interrupted. "But like I said, I'll be fine."

"You going to introduce me?" Marcus asked from his seat.

"Oh." I began as I looked over to Marcus. "Where are my manners, Marcus, this is Mathew, he's a new friend of mine." I turned to Mathew. "Mathew, this is Marcus, he's also a good friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marcus." Mathew said as he offered a hand.

Marcus stood up and shook Mathew's hand. "The pleasure's all mine." He replied. Marcus paused as he let go of Mathew's hand. "Have we … met before?" He asked, a little confused.

"Can't say we have." Mathew replied. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"Same here but … I just …" Marcus shook his head. "Never mind, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Quite." Mathew replied.

Just then, a buzzing sound was heard and Marcus pulled out his phone and looked at it. "Sorry guys, I need to get home, I'll catch you later."

"Catch you later." I replied as Marcus walked off.

"Nice kid." Mathew stated. "But I digress; I need to talk to you about something important."

"Go ahead." I replied.

He nodded. "If you'd be so kind as to follow me, m'lady."

"Sure."

He began walking, and I followed close behind. "As you know, I've been trying to dig up information on Roy that could expose him for what he's done to the silver."

"And?"

He sighed. "We haven't found anything concrete, as of yet, but … there appears to be another party interested in stopping him."

"Allies?" I asked.

"They're after Roy because of the silver actually, they may come after the rest of the cult as well; if they suspect a connection."

"Any ideas who they are?" I asked.

Mathew shook his head. "Only that they are looking for information on us, and they were most likely the ones who took the sterilized silver from the storehouse."

"So then, we don't know if they are friend or foe."

"Not a clue." He replied.

I sighed as we continued walking. "So then … how is everyone?" I asked. "I mean everyone in your portion of the cult."

"They're good … but they wish that they could do more to make you happy." Mathew replied uneasily.

"Well, tell them that they are making me happy enough as it is, by just being friendly."

"But they want to serve you." Mathew reminded me as he turned to look at me. "And you did say that you would give them a chance, right?"

I paused before responding. "Well … yeah but … I'm doing that, right?"

"You met them, but you haven't let them serve you yet."

I looked down, slightly, and kicked a rock on the ground. "So … how do I … do that … exactly?"

"Well, is there anything that you want?" Mathew asked with a smile. "Honestly, it's easier to let someone serve you when there is something you want."

"Something I want, huh." I began thinking to myself about my argument with Marco. "I want my best friend."

Mathew bit his lip. "I wish we could help with that, but I don't know how."

"PRINCES BUTTERFLY!" I heard someone exclaim as they got closer. I turned around to see the same girl who saved me from Roy's men; she was carrying a large rectangular box. "Princes Butterfly!" She exclaimed as she reached us. "I heard about what happened between you and your friend and-"

"REBECCA!" Mathew interrupted. "Please, include some context before she thinks you're a stalker."

"Sorry about that master Lexington." She said with a bow.

"Please … never use my last name … ever …" He said nervously.

She turned to me, with a concerned look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I caught wind of what happened between you and your friend, it's been going around school like wildfire."

"So it has." I said as I looked away, depressed.

"Which is why I brought you this!" She said as she held out the box she was carrying. "Some of the others and I have been working on it and … it's not all that good, but … we were waiting until we all got the chance to meet you; but with what happened … we wanted to give you something to cheer you up."

"Take it easy." I said, as I held up my hands in defense. I took the box and she seemed happy as ever. "I appreciate the thought, and I'm sure it will be amazing."

"Thank you Princes Butterfly." She said with a bow.

"Please." I replied. "Call me Star."

"Thank you, Star." She said with a bright smile, before walking away. I felt a sense of pleasure come over me. I was able to make someone happy by just accepting a simple gift.

"I think I might like having you guys around." I said as I watched her leave.

"I think they'll like being around you." Mathew replied.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Later)

I decided to take a detour on my way home, so that I could avoid Marco; however I ended up getting lost, and arrived home around seven thirty. "Man, I need to get a map." I said as I walked in the front door.

"STAR!" Mr. and Mrs. Diaz exclaimed as they ran up to hug me.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Diaz asked. "We were so worried about you."

"I'm fine Mrs. Diaz." I replied. "I just got lost on my way home."

"Well then, we need to get you a cell phone for emergencies like this." Mr. Diaz added.

"That's not necessary, I just use Mar-" I stopped mid-sentence. "I mean … I don't need one."

"Are you positive?" Mr. Diaz asked.

"I'm sure." I said as I got away and made it to the stairs. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

"What's in the box?" Mrs. Diaz asked.

I looked down at the box I was carrying, wondering the same thing myself. I didn't open it while I was walking, because I was waiting 'till I got home; but my curiosity had started to get the better of me. "It's a present from a friend … a few friends actually." I made my way upstairs and Mr. and Mrs. Diaz continued to shoot me questions.

I made my way upstairs and before I could get into my room, I ran into Stella, who was leaving her room. "Star." She said, surprised. "What have you been up to?"

"Just trying to avoid Marco for the time being." I replied. "Has he been asking for me?"

She looked to the side, a little uneasy. "He came and went not too long ago, but he did ask if you were home."

"Guess he was trying to avoid me as well." I said sadly. "Any idea where he went?"

She rolled her eyes before answering. "He has a date with Janna, if you can believe it."

I sighed as I walked over to my room. "I guess I should have expected as much." I replied. "Not like he cares about me anymore anyway."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop right there." Stella exclaimed as she got between me and my room. "Marco does care about you, he cares about you a lot; but he's just … you know, stupid."

"Thanks, but you don't have to-"

"It's true!" She interrupted. "If he didn't care about you, then why would he-" She stopped mid-sentence. "Never mind, he'll tell you himself when the time is right." Stella walked away leaving me confused.

"What was that about?" I asked myself. I shrugged it off and walked into my room, and sat down on my bed with the gift from the cult. I noticed there was an unread message on my mirror, that was probably from my mother, but I was more interested in what the cult made for me.

I slowly opened the box. Inside was a folded white dress with a rainbow star inside of a butterfly embroidered on it. I pulled the dress out to see that it was a similar style to my sea green dress, only the lower half had a smaller, but longer skirt in addition to having longer and looser fitting sleeves. In addition I also found that there was silver laced into the stitching. As I ran my hands over it, I felt that it was made from smooth silk.

"My gosh, this is amazing." I said, as I looked it over once more. As I lifted it once again, a letter fell out from the fold. I put the dress down and took a look at the letter.

_'Dear Princess Butterfly_

_We had planned to work on it a little more, but we couldn't handle take seeing you so sad. The small amount of silver in the dress is all that we managed to recover from Roy before he sterilized it; and thought it best if you have it. Sorry we couldn't be of more help to you.'_

I almost cried while reading the letter; they were so thoughtful and extremely helpful for saving any silver at all. "I can't wait to meet them." I said as I picked up the dress again.

* * *

**Okay, first things first, I don't mind negative reviews but PLEASE for the love of god, make them rated 'G' please? And don't go looking for the review I mentioned because it was a guest review and I deleted it. Now for the first time in a long time I'm going to give you guys a hint at something that's going to happen in the next chapter, and that hint is … … … NOPE!**

**R&amp;R**


	33. Chapter 33

**I have no idea what's wrong with me right now, last night I was on my page for , and I go into my favorites tab and load up the same page three times, THREE TIMES! That's how much I was procrastinating. But I digress, I was a little worried that there were a few things in this chapter that some of my readers might not like so I was nervous about posting this one. But let's get to the reviews.**

**Sabrina06: Yes, yes they would.**

**Jam Buds: Thank you.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: I'm not going to say if something interesting happens when someone sees her with that but like I said, the silver in her dress isn't sterilized.**

**H. Mae: Well … it's part of his backstory so I have to mention it at some point … right?**

**Lovegirl17: Thank you.**

**JollyPayton: I didn't trick anyone … that was actually a legitimate hint. And thank you for pointing that out.**

**Zues Killer Productions: Actually I'm not sure either.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: That's kinda what's going through her head.**

**Snowdrop: Thank you Snowdrop, it's reviewers like you that make writing worthwhile.**

**Steel Razer: Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

Stella, Marcus and I made our way to the docks, to look for the abandoned boat house Janna told me about last night. I had emptied out my fanny pack, and filled it with a few things I figured would come in handy, just in case. "I just don't get it." Marcus said as we arrived. "Why does Echo Creek have so many abandoned buildings? There was the abandoned building that the cult used for recruiting, the abandoned steel mill, and now an abandoned boat house? What's next? An abandoned castle?"

"Does it matter?" I asked as we looked around). "We need to find this place so we can take Roy down for good."

"I think) its cliché." Marcus finished.

"And after we take Roy down, what then?" Stella asked. "It's not like we can put him in prison or something."

"I've been thinking about that, and I may have a solution; but we would need to capture him first." I answered.

"Great, and then you can tell Star all about what we've been doing." Stella stated as she gave me a smug smile. "Then you two can make up and finally become a couple."

"I don't love Star." I stated as I found our destination; it was a large abandoned two story boat house that appeared to be half submerged. "Not to mention, I think we found what we were looking for."

"I doubt that finding this place has anything to do with what we were talking about." Marcus added.

"Well let's handle this, then we can talk about it ... after." I said as I approached the house.

"There might not be an after." Marcus stated as we reached the supposed entrance; the door had fallen off a long time ago, and the only thing we could see inside was darkness.

"Good thing I thought ahead." I said as I pulled out my flashlight. I turned it on and shone it inside, revealing a staircase leading to the second floor.

"Why a staircase?" Marcus asked. "Shouldn't there be a hall, or an entry room, or something?"

"You mean that?" I said as I pointed to the collapsed gate to our right. "In some instances the only way for people to reach the second floor is from the outside." I began walking up the stairs, followed by Marcus, then Stella who stayed close.

When we reached the second floor, we arrived at the main housing area for one of the boats. It was rather empty; parts of the ceiling had caved in, letting in some light, revealing a small catwalk to the other side of the room. The main balcony, near the far right, had completely collapsed, leaving the cat walk as the only means to cross. On the side we were on, there were two doors that looked like they were barely on their hinges. I walked over to the first door and opened it, revealing what looked to be a bedroom of some sort. I walked inside and began looking around, but all I found were some old sheets. "Nothing in here." I stated.

"That's more than I found." I heard Stella reply. I walked out to see her standing in front of an open door. "There's not even a room to search."

"So Janna was wrong, can we go now?" Marcus asked.

"We only searched two rooms … well, one room and a door." I replied as I made my way to the catwalk. "There's still the other holding area."

"Good, let's go around." Marcus said as he walked over to the staircase.

"This was the only entrance." I stated, as I placed a hand on the railing of the catwalk. "This is the only way across."

I took a few steps, and when I was about a quarter of the way across it seemed like it would hold. "It's safe." I said as I turned around.

"I think I'll stay here." Marcus said as he looked at the water below. "You know, hold down the fort."

Stella began pushing Marcus onto the catwalk. "Oh come on, are you afraid of water or something?"

"I have arachnophobia, not aquaphobia." He said as he began inching his way across the platform. "I just … never learned how to swim."

"How could you never learn how to swim?" Stella asked after she stopped pushing Marcus.

"Well they don't really have pools in Cavumville so none of us ever learned how."

"Where?" Stella asked.

"It's where the orphanage I grew up in was located, okay." Marcus stated, getting increasingly annoyed.

"You were an orphan?" Stella asked, shocked.

"Marcus, I thought you didn't want people to know." I stated, as I glanced back to see how they were doing.

"Yeah well the threat of imminent death makes one rethink their priorities." Marcus retorted as he continued to look down. He glanced up at me with a leer. "And it's not like she's going to-" He paused as his head turned fully. He leaned to his right, then looked behind him. "How did …" He turned back to me. "Marco, I think we found the right place."

"How can you tell?" I asked as I turned around, only for my question to be answered for me. There were two hooded cultists standing in front of me about a quarter way from the far edge of the catwalk. "Never mind." I replied.

"They're back here, too." Stella added. "We're surrounded."

"This is your first, and last, warning." One of the cultists began. "Leave now and forget about this place."

"Not possible." I replied, as I cracked my knuckles. "We've come to stop Roy; and that's exactly what we're going to do."

"Then it looks like we will have to take more … permanent measures." The cultists began approaching and I laughed.

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "I took on ten of you guys alone, and Stella can take on even more than I can."

"I have fireworks." Marcus added. "And you don't have much room."

"That may be, but we were trained better than the others." All of them took a few steps closer and the catwalk started to creak. "Not to mention that I'm pretty sure one of you said that they can't swim."

"Marco." Marcus said, as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't think this structure can hold all of us, even if we were standing still."

I looked back, then at the approaching cultists. "I think you're right."

"Think you guys can get to the other side?" Stella asked.

"I have a roman candle." Marcus said, as he pulled out a roman candle.

"Good, then let me take care of these guys." She said as she pulled out her escrima sticks.

"You're kidding, right?" Marcus asked.

"No time to argue." I retorted.

Marcus lit his roman candle and the cultists began charging. "Marco! Move!" Marcus shouted.

I stepped to the side, and Marcus moved in front of me; just as his candle went off. Both cultists jumped off the catwalk and grabbed onto the side, to keep themselves from falling into the water. As Marcus and I ran to the other side, Marcus pointed his still lit roman candle at one of them causing their cloak to catch fire; making them fall into the water; complete with Wilhelm scream.

When we reached the other side, I turned back to see that the cultist that hadn't fallen into the water had gotten back onto the catwalk; and all of them were closing in on Stella. "GO!" Stella shouted. "I'll be fine."

"Let's take her advice." Marcus said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

I took one final look before opening the door to the next housing area and continuing onward.

* * *

(No one's POV)

Stella stood there, with her escrima and a smile;. The four remaining cultists quickly charged her and she swung her escrima, nailing one of them from the side she had come from, in the ribs. Before she could attack, another came from behind and grabbed her in a bear hug, causing her to drop her sticks. In the time she was immobilized, another cultist came charging past the injured one. As he tried to throw a punch, Stella kicked off the ground, causing the guy holding her to lean back; she then kicked the charging cultist in the stomach causing him to fall back. Stella then head-butted the cultist holding her forcing him to let go.

It was at this time that the first injured cultist regained mobility and threw a punch at Stella, who was able to block it, but wasn't able to block the kick that he followed up with; causing her to fall back. She quickly made it to her feet and threw a punch of her own, but the cultist dodged it and then threw a punch at her; which she just managed to dodge. The cultist that was the furthest back of the three, slipped past the other and grabbed Stella by the shoulders, then tried to throw her off. Stella managed to twist her arms and grab the cultist by the waist, allowing her to twist the cultist off the side of the railing.

"Who's next?" She asked.

The cultist that was on the far side of her threw a punch while she wasn't looking, but she managed to turn around just in time to grab it; and hit the guy in the stomach a few times. After he got to his feet, Stella cupped her hands and slammed them on the guys ears; causing him to become disoriented. The cultist took a few steps back, but without proper balance, misstepped off the catwalk. As the cultist began falling, he made a grab for the railing, only for it to break and fall with him.

"That leaves two." Stella said as she looked at the two remaining cultists.

"So it does." One of them said. "This doesn't look good for us."

"And what do we do when things don't look good for us?" The other asked with a smile. He cupped his hands and the other stepped up, onto his hands and in one motion, jumped over Stella; landing on the opposite side of her, causing the catwalk to start shaking and break at the point where the cultist landed. The remaining portion of the catwalk began to dip down and Stella and the other cultist grabbed onto the railing; to avoid sliding into the water.

"Damn." Stella said as she looked at the now destroyed catwalk. "How am I supposed to catch up to them now?"

Before she could think of an answer, the remaining cultist came sliding down; but Stella managed to see this just in time to dodge out of the way. The cultist did however manage to grab her foot as he tried to pull her into the water. "Let's go for a swim." The cultist said with a smile.

"Sorry." She said as she kicked him in the head, causing him to fall. "I didn't bring my bathing suit."

Stella looked up at the where the catwalk broke and sighed. "Now I have to find a way for them to get back."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Meanwhile)

Marcus and I had continued onward, and were now in the second boat room. "I hope Stella can handle them." I said as I turned to face the door.

"Um … Marco?" Marcus asked.

"What is it?" I replied.

"How about some light?"

I turned around and somehow this room was completely devoid of light and I hadn't noticed. "The adrenalin must have gotten to me." I said as I reached around in my fanny pack. I felt around, but I couldn't find my flashlight. "Damn, where is that thing." I froze as I realized something. "Marcus … did I put it away?"

"I don't know, did you?" Marcus replied.

"I think I dropped it."

"Great." Marcus said as I heard him begin to do something. Within moments, Marcus lit a sparkler which created enough light so that we could see each other. "I wish I had a torch or something." Marcus said as he looked around. I began following him as he walked to the catwalk, when we reached it however, we noticed that it had broken and now lead down.

"So how do we get around now?" Marcus asked.

"Maybe the balcony is intact?" I replied.

Marcus tried to illuminate the balcony with the sparkler; we could barely see that it was still intact. What was interesting, was that we could just make out strange string like things, all around the room. "What are those?" Marcus asked.

I walked over to one and took a look;. It was a bit bigger than your average string, that one keeps in the house, but it was sort of silver. I grabbed it and it felt strange; but what was really strange, was that when I grabbed it, I couldn't let go. "Well this is strange."

"What's strange?" Marcus asked.

"My hand is stuck." I said, as I tried to pull it free.

"Ha, ha, ha." Marcus said sarcastically. "Don't try and scare me Marco, let go." He grabbed onto my hand but we weren't able to pull it free.

"It … won't budge." I said as I tried to pull my hand free.

"Hold on." He said as he held his lighter to the thread and it caught fire instantly. I nearly burnt my hand and the entire string was instantly aflame. "What the heck?" I asked as I watched the string burn. It wasn't near another one; so it didn't cause a chain reaction, but the fact that it caught so fast was curious.

"Interesting." Marcus commented. "Maybe you shouldn't have dropped your flashlight; we might accidentally set the whole room on fire."

"Yeah, I thought it was a bad idea to drop it." I retorted sarcastically.

The sparkler went out, leaving us in the dark again. "Great." Marcus said as he lit his lighter.

As we began walking again I heard something strange, causing me to stop. "Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Marcus asked. Just then, a hissing sound rattled throughout the room, causing Marcus to jump. "Never mind."

"Janna did say that some of the guards weren't human." I stated. "I think we might have found them."

"Let's hurry." Marcus said as he began moving again.

"Wait a minute." I said as I reached into my fanny pack, again, and pulled out my mini flashlight and turned it on.

"You had that all this time?" Marcus asked a little annoyed.

We made our way to the other side, carefully avoiding the strings as we went; all the while the hissing sound persisted, but nothing attacked us. We finally reached the other side and came upon another door. "Well that was easier than I expected." I said as I tried to open the door; only to find it locked. "They must have fixed this door so that they could lock it." I said as I pulled out a lock picking kit. "I'll be a moment."

"Marco?" Marcus asked nervously.

"One second Marcus." I replied as I continued to work on the lock.

"Marco?" Marcus asked, a little more urgently.

"I think I've almost-"

"MARCO!" Marcus snapped.

"For crying out loud, what is it?" I asked as I turned to address him.

"Please tell me you know of other creatures that have eight red eyes and that can make sticky thread."

I turned to my right, slightly, to see eight glowing red eyes and quickly put two and two together. I pointed my flashlight at it and saw a giant harry spider, with glowing red eyes, walking right towards us along the very webs that it wove. "Well … that explains the hissing sound." I said, trying to not to break down.

Marcus pointed at the spider and smiled slightly, fear evident in his face. "Giant … spider." He said as the spider crept closer.

"Marcus?" I asked concerned about his mental state. "Are you going to be okay."

Marcus's eyes looked like something inside him had snapped. "Nope." He replied.

"Come on man, don't lose it on me." I said as the spider opened its mouth revealing bones caught in its mandibles.

"NOPE!" Marcus shouted again as he continued to smile.

"Marcus?" I asked.

"NNNNNNNOPE!" Marcus reached into his hoodie and pulled out a giant rocket that was at least twice as big as him with the word 'NOPE' written on the side in big bold red letters.

"MARCUS!" I exclaimed. "Don't light that! We're in an enclosed space!"

"NOPE!" Marcus shouted again as he pulled out his lighter. The spider took one look at the rocket and took a few steps back, in fear of what was about to happen.

"Marcus, it's backing off, you can put the lighter away." I pleaded.

"NOPE!" He shouted again as he lit the fuse.

"Damn it." I said as I went back to the door lock.

"NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!" Marcus shouted again.

"Damn it." I stated as I failed to open the door. I quickly cracked my knuckles three times and slammed my side into the door in the hopes of breaking it off its hinges with little success.

"ALL THE NOPE!" Marcus shouted.

"Damn!" I rammed myself against the door one more time and this time, the door gave way. I began falling into, what I now knew, was a room where the floor was missing. I landed on the first floor, with a thud, followed shortly by an explosion. I looked up to see fireworks entering the room every now and then. "At least it was packed with fireworks and not straight up explosives, can't say that the spider survived though."

"So my pet it dead then?" I heard a familiar voice say. I looked over to see Roy, just outside some glowing circle that had a stack of silver in the center; illuminated only by the numerous candles on the walls.

"Roy!" I exclaimed as I walked over to him. "Finally, we can end this."

"What did I ever do to you?" Roy asked as he got up. "Sure I may be the leader of a cult, but that doesn't involve you, now does it?"

"You're trying to capture Star Butterfly." I retorted. "That's reason enough for me."

"From what I heard, you and Star are no longer friends." Roy replied.

"DON'T YOU SAY THAT!" I snapped. "Star may have lied to me, but she still means a lot to me. So we had one argument, big deal, she's still my best friend; and I'm still going to protect her!"

"You would have made a great cult leader." Roy said as he stood up. "We are so much alike."

"We are nothing alike!" I retorted.

"We both want Star." He said as he smiled.

"I don't want her like you do." I paused as I realized what I had just said. "And I don't particularly want her as much as I care about her."

"Stop lying Marco, you'll be dead by the time this is over. Don't you want me to tell Star that her best friend, who yelled at her, loves her so much that he rushed head first to his own death; just because she didn't trust him?"

"No." I replied. "You're not going to beat me, so you're not going to capture Star."

Roy laughed as he ran his fingers through his long blue hair. "If Star were here with you, then I wouldn't stand a chance. You would have me defeated in no time at all. But now it's just you and me, and I have some surprises that you won't be able to handle."

"Don't toy with me!" I retorted. "How much sterilized silver do you have on you right now to counter Star's magic?"

Roy smiled as he threw off his cloak to reveal silver chain-mail. " You're smarter than I gave you credit for Marco, but I guess that's to be expected."

I leered at him. "You made a suit of armor out of sterilized silver? Just so you could fight Star?"

"It's purified Marco." Roy commented. "Purified of all magic, like it should be."

"What's you endgame then?" I asked. "What happens when you capture Star?"

"I worship her Marco, isn't that enough?" Roy asked.

"Don't toy with me; you're a heretic at best, what are you really after?"

He let out a small laugh. "Star Butterfly is the most powerful being on earth, because of her wand. Not to mention all the people that would flock to fight for me, if I had her."

"You want to take over the world?" I asked.

"The universe actually." He replied. "With her wand in my hands, and her behind my bars ... it would be easy for me to raise an army that would gladly fight for anything I ask."

"So that's what the cult is about?" I retorted.

"We all want to rule, but the others … want to rule in a different way."

"I've heard enough." I said as I began cracking my knuckles.

"I've already given you my power, Marco." Monster Arm stated. "You don't have to tell me again."

I sighed and rubbed my upper lip so Roy wouldn't see me talking to myself. "Yeah well I want the arm." I said quietly.

"You remember what happened last time?" Monster Arm asked.

I ignored him, and cracked my knuckles again, and I felt Monster Arm's full power. "And this time, you're not getting away."

"I have no plans on running." Roy said as he cracked his neck. "I plan on killing you right here and now."

* * *

**Or in a few days because the chapter is ending here. Yeah, I'm not posting the next chapter until Monday for reasons, given that I do have it ready … I want to go over a few things in it.**

**R&amp;R**


	34. Chapter 34

**Well, it's finally Monday, smell that fresh Monday air? I do, then again, I'm on the eastern seaboard so it might still be Sunday for some of you in which case you're not allowed to read this until Monday. I bet each and every one of you who read that ignored it and are going to read it anyway and I actually don't care so … I hope that the casualty count isn't too high later today, I really like hearing from all you guys and it would really hurt if one of you died from an overdose of Starco. Being an emotionally stunted man, I am resistant to overdosing on Starco but it has … other … effects on me so … this is getting weird, let's cut to the reviews.**

**Sabrina06: The head lamp would help.**

**Zues Killer Productions: I'm curious, who's the girl you're talking about? I mean I get the reference but the only girl in the previous chapter was Stella, the spider was actually genderless, which I should have pointed out.**

**Bigmike33321: You know I asked my friends what ASDF was and they told me they didn't know, I also wasn't able to find it online so … can you help a brother out?**

**JollyPayton: I like cliffhangers; I might just do it again.**

**H. Mae: Actually I think it is possible to die from fear. Marcus actually has a somewhat interesting (yet sad if you know some other stuff that I haven't mentioned anywhere) backstory that you can finds hints to if you look close enough. Actually the only writing class I ever had was an intro class and they didn't really touch on that. I also want to throw them into a closet but sadly, they won't have time for that until I do.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: That's like saying that you have to wait till Monday to find out if the main character dies, this isn't game of thrones man. **

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Shelton: I will be very surprised to see the look on your face.**

**Guest: Thank you.**

**Snowdrop: Wait no longer, Monday is here.**

**Lovegirl17: Thank you.**

**Guest: It is now that I think about it.**

**Guest: I will look into that but … no promises.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

Roy rushed me, a crazed smile on his face. When he reached me, he tried to punch my head, but I ducked and nailed him right in the gut; causing no visible effect. I punched him a few more times, only for him to jerk back a little each time and smile. "You think that'll stop me?" He asked.

He palm struck me in the chest, sending me flying into the far wall, with a painful thud. "How's this possible?" I asked as I stared him down.

"I have a source of power from another dimension, that you could only dream of understanding." Roy retorted. "How do you think I survived a fall from the catwalk the last time we met?"

"Yeah, I got that." I said as I clenched my hand. "You have a patron which gives you special powers, I just didn't expect immunity to pain being one of them."

"I'm surprised you have such knowledge but I don't have immunity to pain, I'm just stronger than you." He began charging me again, and I sidestepped him at the last second; then threw a chop at the back of his neck sending him reeling.

"Arg." He said as he grabbed his neck. "How on earth … that's not possible!"

"It sure is." I said as I ran up to him and threw a punch, only for him to dodge it, and throw a punch right back at me. I sidestepped it and spun around him and threw an elbow strike to his kidney but he didn't seem to flinch. "What the-"

He interrupted me by grabbing me by the shoulder, and throwing me to the ground. He placed a foot on my chest and I struck the back of his knee and the front of his shin with my forearms causing him to fall to the ground beside me.

I got to my feet, and so did Roy. I threw a quick punch to his chest, but there was still no effect. I was too distracted by the lack of effect my punches were having, that Roy managed to get a clear shot at my solar plexus; causing me to take a few steps back as the air was knocked out of me. "Wait a second." I said as I got my breath back. "That was weak, compared to your first strike."

"That is curious." Roy replied, as he looked at his hand.

I suddenly realized something and grabbed his arm. I twisted him into an arm bar before he could react. I came down on his elbow, with my free hand, causing it to get dislocated and Roy to scream out in pain.

Roy yanked his arm free and looked at me, surprised. "How is this possible?" He asked as he snapped his arm back into place. "Something is not right here."

"And I've found out what." I said as I charged. He was about to throw a punch, but I ducked and swept his legs, causing him to begin falling. I grabbed his arm before he hit the ground and threw him back into an arm bar. "Your armor stops just before your elbow, but it covers the major arm mussels. Your special strength comes from magic, so having sterilized silver chain-mail means that you can't use that the enhanced strength in your arms." I popped his elbow back out of place; causing him to scream in pain. "Your first attack was a palm strike which derives strength from the wrist, which isn't covered by your armor."

"Meaning that it still had the benefit of my patron." Roy finished. His arm began heating up, forcing me to let go. "But that works two ways Marco." He continued. "Your attacks seemed to get weaker when they struck my chain-mail, meaning that you must also derive strength from a patron." He began laughing. "Amazing, and here I was thinking that you were simply a normal human!"

"Take off the chain-mail." I replied. "Let's stop the charades and fight with everything we've got."

"Very well." He said as he began taking off his chain-mail shirt. He threw it to the side and cracked his knuckles. "Please, after you."

I clenched my fist and transformed my arm into a tentacle, Roy's response was to laugh, and his arm turned to fire. "I think mine is better."

"We'll see about that." I rushed him, and grabbed him with my arm; only for it to get burnt and forcing me to let go.

"Can't stand the heat?!" He shouted as he charged. He punched me with his flaming fist and I narrowly dodged, only for his other arm to be set aflame, and him to try and punch me with that one. I was less successful dodging this one; it burnt my side as I got out of the way.

"Damn." I said as placed a hand on the burn.

"Marco, I have an idea." Monster Arm shouted.

"What is it?" I whispered. Roy began rapid-fire punches; which were getting closer and closer each time.

"Just trust me!" Monster Arm shouted.

"FINE!" I replied.

Roy was confused, for an instant, as I shouted; but didn't stop his assault. He sent another one of his punches, I felt my body become more limber and I was able to bend nearly my entire body out of the way of his attack. He was caught off guard by this, and I took the opportunity to wrap my arm around his waist and throw him against the far wall, before he could burn it.

"I've made it so you can alter the rigidity in your bones, making it possible to bend them slightly." Monster Arm explained. "Just don't go overboard or you will collapse into a puddle."

"Thanks for the heads up." I replied.

Roy got up, and gave me a confused look. "Who are you-" He paused as he finally caught on. "You're sharing a body with your patron?" He asked. "Well, that explains so much."

"Based on your response, I'm guessing yours isn't in your head." I shot back.

"No, I serve mine; I don't have him constantly speaking in my ear, like some mentally ill person."

"I'd rather share a head, than be a slave." I spat.

"I am no slave." He replied. "As soon as I have Star, I will have no need for his power." He rushed me and began again with the rapid-fire punches; but this time I was able to dodge them all with ease. When I saw an opening, I swept out his legs again and then smashed my arm on top of him when he fell to the floor; causing an indent to form in the floorboards. He then shot his arm upward, creating a plume of fire, which I dodged, by jumping away. He got to his feet and held a small ball of fire in his hand. He swept his hand across the ball, launching a crescent wave of fire at me. I swept the wave away, with my tentacle arm, and Roy launched another; which I also swept away.

Roy leered at me as he clasped his hands together to form a small ball of fire, that got bigger and bigger. "Nope." I said as I punched right through the ball and knocked Roy onto his back. "Don't know what that was, but it's not happening."

Roy shouted out, in rage, as he began throwing fireballs at me while charging. I dodged the fireballs, and when he got close enough; I used his momentum and threw him into the wall. He got his feet under himself, and turned to look at me as the fire began to envelop his whole body. "This isn't over yet." He said as he ran at me, again.

I sidestepped him, but he just changed direction and charged me again. I sidestepped him, once more, before seeing the indent in the floor; and came up with an idea. "Hey hot head, is that the best you can do? A little heat?"

"Oh, you want more?" He said as he began walking over.

I lifted my arm and slammed it to the floor as hard as I could, causing it to splinter ,and both of us to fall into the water below. I quickly regained my bearings as I located Roy, who appeared to have gone into shock;. I reached over and lifted him back onto what was left of the floor, then hauled myself up as well. I looked over and noticed Roy was barely breathing, but that he had burn marks all over; and part of his shirt had burnt away along with all of his hair. "That's what you get when you play with fire." I said as I took a few breaths. "Wait a second." I said as I smelt something peculiar. "Is that smoke?"

* * *

**Okay, I would like to point something out, in one chapter I dropped a major hint that only my beta currently knows about because I asked her if it was a bad idea for me to include it. Seriously guys, that chapter has been out for a while and no one has noticed it? I don't know if I haven't been obvious enough yet or if I haven't been talking about it enough yet. I'm not going to say what it is, I just want to know at this point in time if anyone has noticed it but payed it no attention.**

**R&amp;R**


	35. Chapter 35

**I bet your all wondering why it took me so long to get this chapter to you, well I have a three word answer that all of you should be able to guess by now, 'Blood Moon Ball.' That single episode was amazing, and I loved it so much. It made the ship cannon while not having them get together, brilliant! … … … okay … there is another reason I didn't update … I … have a tumbler account … and I've been pumping out headcannons left and right. Don't believe me? My username there is Axis2400, and if you go there you will be able to see all of my headcannons that I hope to one day make into stories. Of course … I do have … other priorities when it comes to writing … it's a lot of work.**

**Anon: Normally I don't respond to reviews from chapter which I already responded to the review from but I will make an exception, I don't use one POV because doing it like this makes it easier for me, sure it's not as professional but it is harder and less interesting to write from no one's POV.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: A lot of fans died from over excitement so I would say the wait was well worth it and the episode after wasn't too bad either.**

**Bigmike33321: You, righty there, hold on, don't go ANYWHERE! You said, two chapters ago that the moon was shipping Starco, and in BMB, the moon was shipping Starco, HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN!**

**MegaRocker101: Well Marco won that fight … no telling if he'll win the next one.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well seeing as this is probably the first story of mine that you read you might not catch it. Also, sorry it took so long for you to find out what the smoke was.**

**H. Mae: Wait, since who appeared? The silhouette? Possibly.**

**MasterTigress4444: I'm glad that you liked it and you shouldn't stay up so late, the chapter will be here in the morning.**

**Zues Killer Productions: Tom? What about Tom? You mean you also wanted him to fight Marco in the new episode?**

**Snowdrops: Sorry but a lot of these chapters are done in advance so it's difficult to take requests.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Glad you like it, and you will find out.**

**Guest: I'm glad you find it appealing.**

**JollyPayton: Apparently not many people know what I was hinting at or what the hint was.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

The smell of smoke began to concern me more and more, as I looked up to see a light coming from the open door. "Damn, Marcus must have lit the web on fire with his rocket … I must have been too distracted with the fight to notice."

My arm returned to normal, but I still had Monster Arm's power for the time being; which I used to jump to the second floor to see what was going on. What I saw nearly gave me a heart attack; the entire second boat room was on fire. "Damn it." As I looked around, I found Marcus sitting next to the door, hugging his knees while rocking back and forth.

"Giant spider, giant spider, … burning." He kept repeating.

"Well this is a fine kettle of fish." I said before jumping back down. I ran over to Roy's cloak and searched through it for his dimensional scissors. I then quickly ran over and picked up the chainmail he was wearing, and stuffed the scissors into my fanny pack. Once that was done, I rushed over to Roy and slung him over my shoulder. I jumped back to the second floor, and placed Roy down next to Marcus. "Hey, Marcus, you going to be all right?" I asked.

"It's burning … burning." He kept muttering.

"Come on Marcus!" I shouted. "I need you to get a grip. The spider is gone now and we need to get out before we burn to death."

"Burn." He replied.

"This is useless." I replied. "Looks like I need to find a way out of here, on my own."

Thankfully, part of the wall that was next to land had collapsed meaning that I could jump out that way but carrying both Marcus and Roy might be difficult. I grabbed Marcus and hoisted him over my shoulder, all the while he continued rambling like an insane person. I quickly made my way to the opening and looked out to see Stella standing just outside. "MARCO!" She shouted. "THE BUILDING IS ON FIRE!"

"You sure about that?!" I shouted back sarcastically. I lowered Roy down slightly. "I need you to catch him."

Stella walked within catching distance and I tossed Roy down. Stella fell over as Roy collided with her, but she quickly got to her feet, ready to catch Marcus. As I tossed Marcus down, the fire caught up with me and I was forced to jump right after he collided with Stella. As I was about to hit the ground, I bent my knees slightly and as I made contact with the ground, used my legs to absorb most of the impact then channeled the rest of my momentum into a role. "Marco!" Stella said as she ran over to me. "Are you all right?"

"I'm glad I practiced falling." I replied. "Although I thought I would be jumping off a cliff on one of Star's adventures; not out of a burning building."

"You still might at some point." Stella said as she helped me to my feet. "And what happened to Roy?" She turned to look at Marcus who had just curled into the fetal position. "And what happened to Marcus?"

"Long story." I replied. "We need to get out of here before the firefighters show up and start asking questions."

"I think we should actually make an anonymous call to them." Stella said as she walked over to Marcus. "Yo, you going to be all right?"

"Huh?" Marcus said as he looked over at her. "Oh … I think I'm good." Marcus slowly got to his feet, as I threw Roy over my shoulder.

"All right then, we need to make that call and hand Roy off to some proper authorities."

"You're going to give him to the police?" She asked. "They're more likely to take his side of the argument seeing how wounded he is."

"Not the police." I replied. "You remember when I said that I might have a solution for what to do with Roy?"

"Pray tell." Stella replied.

I smiled. "Well, I've contacted some help that might just be able to do something about him."

"Wait a second." Marcus began, as he turned to me, a little annoyed. "You had contact with help, but they couldn't come and help us while we were in there?" He asked as he pointed at the burning building.

"They wanted proof." I answered. "And sadly, a few lumps of sterilized silver weren't going to convince them." I pulled the chainmail off my shoulder and showed it to them. "Which is why I grabbed this."

"Can we talk about this later?" Stella asked as she motioned to the building.

I looked over at the burning building which looked like it was starting to get out of control. " All right then, Stella, call them up really quick, I'll get our exit ready."

Stella rolled her eyes, pulled out her phone, and walked a short distance away. I threw the chainmail over my shoulder again, and pulled out Roy's silver dimensional scissors. "Wait, why do you have those?" Marcus asked.

"I didn't want to steal Star's; so I took Roy's before leaving the room where we fought." I replied as I got ready.

"Okay but why do we need them?" Marcus clarified, as he leaned forward a little.

"I'd tell you, but I think it would be easier if I showed you." I cut a portal open just as Stella walked back.

"The firemen are on their way, they should be here soon; I suggest we … what is that?" She asked as she pointed at the portal, a little afraid.

"It's a portal to some unknown location." Marcus answered as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "And by that, I mean Marco wants us to just trust him; even though my trust in him is starting to wane."

"You want to stay here and explain this to the firefighters?" I asked.

"After me." Marcus said as he rushed through the portal.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Stella noted as she followed.

I entered the portal after Stella, and arrived in a sort of council room from the middle ages. "So where are we again?" Marcus asked.

"On Mewni." I replied as I placed Roy on the table.

Stella did a double take. "I'm sorry, did you say Mewni?"

"Yeah." I answered. "Where else did you think I was going to find someone who could detain this guy?"

"Who exactly did you talk to?" Stella demanded.

"Why that would be me." Someone said as he entered the room. We all looked at where the voice had come from, to see none other than King Butterfly, himself.

"Why do I feel like I'm in a worse situation than when we were in that burning boat house?" Stella asked.

"I don't know but I feel more comfortable here then when I was forced to stare down a blasted giant spider." Marcus added.

"I'd watch that mouth of yours." King Butterfly said as he approached.

"Sorry Your Majesty." Marcus replied, with a bow. "I just have a very great fear of spiders and I encountered a giant one in the place we just infiltrated."

"And you subsequently blew it up, along with half the boat house, to bits with a rocket that you couldn't possibly have stored on your person." I added. "Speaking of which, how did you store hide that in your hoodie?"

"I have a magic satchel." He answered.

"Where did you get a magic satchel?" I asked again.

"Axis24." He replied nonchalantly.

"Of course." I said as I shook my head, then turned back to King Butterfly, who was standing near the table where we had put Roy. He was far enough away that I didn't have to bend over to talk to him, which I was thankful for.

"In any case." King Butterfly began. "From our conversation this morning, I trust you have proof that this bald and burnt man that you threw on my council table is part of what you say he is?"

I showed him the chainmail that Roy had. "Chainmail made from sterilized silver Your Majesty; not something you'd normally find on earth. There is only one source of magic on earth which would require one to make something like this."

The king turned away and began stroking his beard. "It is some proof that there is a cult that is trying to kidnap my daughter …" He let out a sigh. "I will be honest with you Marco, when you told me about this cult earlier … I was praying that you were wrong."

"Excuse me." Marcus chimed in. "I think that someone should give us a little background on what's happening here; seeing as Marco FORGOT TO MENTION ANY OF THIS CONVERSATION TO US!" He said as he turned to address me.

I let out a sigh and shook my head. "I contacted King Butterfly earlier, with Star's magic mirror, while she was in the bathroom and told him about what was going on."

"And I wasn't convinced that there was a cult trying to capture my precious Star." The king continued. "No … that's not true." He turned away. "I didn't want to believe that she was in danger … but I shouldn't have taken your word as lightly as I did." He turned back to the table where the silver chainmail was laid to rest. "But now there is enough proof that this deserves our attention."

"We were ATTACKED!" Marcus retorted. "Does our testimony mean nothing?"

"I was naïve." He replied. "I should have taken a threat to my daughter seriously, instead of hoping that it went away … it will never happen again." He looked over to Roy; who was still unconscious. "And they sterilized silver … a crime almost as great as trying to capture the princess … they must be stopped."

"Whoa, hold on a second." Stella added. "Did you forget that Roy, himself, said that the other leaders of the cult were against the use of sterilized silver? And that the whole cult would turn on him if they found out? Meaning that the rest aren't removing magic from silver?"

"That is good news, sadly does little to comfort me." The king replied. "They are still after my baby girl, and they must be stopped."

"And I will do whatever it takes to stop them." I replied.

"WHOA! WHOA! Hold on a minute!" Marcus exclaimed, as he got between the king and I. He turned to address me furiously. "You said, and I quote, we will capture Roy." He pointed at Roy. "Who is captured, right here, and then YOU would talk to Star and tell her what's been happening!"

"She doesn't know?" The king asked, surprised.

"You didn't tell him?" Marcus asked.

"I tried!" I replied. "But after I started talking about the cult he instantly demanded that I needed proof."

"Then that is my fault for not listening." The king replied. "But you should have told Star that there are people after her."

"She knows." I replied, reassuring him that she was aware of the danger facing her. "But the thing is … she hasn't told us."

"Explain." He said as he crossed his arms.

I took a deep breath and got ready to tell him the whole story. "You see, from what we found out, Star has been aware of the cult for some time-"

"A week." Marcus added.

I leered at Marcus, then continued. "And she still hasn't informed us about it, even though we were attacked by them."

"How are you even aware that Star knows about them, and it isn't an elaborate ploy by the cult?" The king asked.

"She was supposedly attacked the very same day we found out about the cult." I answered. "She promised that she would be somewhere, but she didn't show. I found out from a cultist we questioned, that for the majority of that day she was trapped in another dimension. When I confronted her about why she didn't show after she promised, she said that she got lost and didn't want to come because she was a little late."

"She would never actually do that." The king confirmed as he turned away. "Even if she was only in time to catch the last few seconds of a fight, she would still rush over." He turned back to face me, concerned. "And you say she didn't tell you?"

"Still hasn't." Stella added.

"Then it's time I talked to her." He replied.

"You're forgetting something Marco." Marcus added. "You told us both this morning that after Roy was taken down, you would let Star know what we've been doing; and stop if she wants us to."

I paused as I thought about what I said. "I've … I do not take back what I said …"

"Well that's good." Marcus began. "I was beginning to think that-"

"But I'm not just going to abandon Star." I interrupted.

Marcus paused, then rolled his eyes. "Of course … I should have known."

"All things considered though, I'd like to have a word with Star about this ... myself." The king added. "And I'd like you to be there Marco, so if you could hold off on your confession for just a bit."

"Can't you just talk to her now?" Marcus asked.

"My wife is expecting me for some royal matters. If she found out about this, then she would most surly send her to St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses; if possible, I would like to spare her that for the time being." He paused and nodded. "I will however be able to talk to her first thing tomorrow; I have a … 'lecture' that I will put on hold so that I can meet with Star." He turned back to Roy. "Not to mention that I still want to talk to this cult leader and see what information I can get out of him."

"I can keep her safe 'till then." I replied. "But what about Roy?" I asked. "Given he deserves to be punished, but what can you do to an earthling?"

"Not much." He replied. "But I can brand him."

"Brand him?" Stella asked concerned.

"Seeing as he's from earth, he is … mostly outside of our jurisdiction." He sighed and looked away. "We can't even punish him for the sterilized silver because that … isn't a crime on earth." He took a deep breath then turned back to him. "But I can brand him which will allow us to keep an eye on him at all times." He walked over to him and leered over his unconscious form. "Nothing about him will be private; he won't be able to breath without my knowledge."

"That seems rather harsh." Marcus commented.

"I take my daughter's safety very seriously." He replied. "And being forced to let him go after what he's done … were he from Mewni, then a beheading wouldn't be enough to punish him for his actions."

"Okay!" Marcus exclaimed. "I would like to go now, before he wakes up and this turns frightening so …"

King Butterfly picked up the dimensional scissors and handed them to me. "These are more common than most would like to believe, as for the remainder of his hideout, I have some leverage on earth that will allow me to get a hold of what they find."

"Thank you Your Majesty." I replied. I took the scissors and cut a portal back to earth.

"See you around." Marcus said as he rushed thought it.

"I can't believe him." Stella noted as she followed.

I was about to follow as well when King Butterfly placed a hand on my shoulder. "Marco, may I have a word with you?"

"Sure thing." I answered. "What is it?"

He gave me a look, which I could only describe as the look a man would give his daughter's boyfriend. "Why are you so determined to fight this cult, even though you believe that Star knowingly lied to you about it?"

"They attacked us." I replied. "My friends and I aren't safe with them on the loose."

"No." The king replied. "They weren't safe with Roy free, but he was the only one who was after Star's friends from what I understand."

"Your point?" I asked.

"Why do you still want to fight the cult?" He asked. "The threat to you and your friends, minus Star of course, is dealt with."

"You said it yourself." I replied. "All my friends except Star are safe. Star is my best friend, she's in danger, and I would risk my life to save a friend's life."

"And you would do the same for Star?" He asked. "Is she really that important that you would risk your life for her?"

"Easily." I replied. "My life was boring before she came and now … I can't imagine life without her."

"Are you sure?" He asked as his gaze tightened. "Even a relatively peaceful day for any Mewniin is risky for a normal human."

"I wouldn't trade it for anything." I felt a sense of unease come over me as he questioned me. "Um … can I ask you something?"

He gave me a curious look. "Why sure, ask away."

"Why are you asking me about this?" I asked. "I mean … sure, it's important that you be sure I would protect Star but-"

"The proper thing to do in this situation would be to take her away from Earth and send her to St. Olgas." He interrupted, causing me to look at him with wide eyes. "She is in danger on Earth, and has obviously had a negative impact on such a magic free dimension. I shouldn't let her stay any longer." He walked around me as I stood there, frozen, at his words. "But she loves it there, she would never forgive me if I took her away; but her safety comes first." He finished walking around me as I stared off into the distance. "Which is why I ask what are you willing to give up to protect her?"

I came to my senses as he said that. "What would I give up … to keep her with me?"

"Yes." He answered. "Tell me what you will risk to keep my daughter safe … or when I talk to her … I will remove her from Earth forever."

"I'd give my life to keep her safe." I replied.

"Your life?" He asked. He looked over at Roy, then back at me. "Is that what you risked to beat him? Because he might not be the strongest, or the biggest threat."

I paused and closed my eyes as I thought to myself for a moment. "I'd lose my sanity without her, so I'd put my very soul on the line to keep her safe."

He sighed and looked down. "Why doesn't that make me feel better?" He asked.

"What more do you want?!" I demanded. "I want her to stay, she wants to stay, our friends want her to stay, we want to protect her no matter what! We can take on the cult, what more do you need before you-"

"I have a bad feeling Marco!" He interrupted. "Sure, it's not much to go on but … I've had these feelings before, and they never end well."

"About the cult?" I asked.

"About your concern for her." He replied. "The more you try to ease my concerns, the more I worry … And the fact that I can't think of a reason why worries me more."

"I am nothing like Roy!" I retorted causing him to turn to me, shocked. "I care about her but I'm not obsessed like Roy or … whoever else there might be."

"Fair enough." He replied. "You might make a fair knight someday Marco."

I was shocked at the possibility of being knighted. "Say what?" I asked.

"Taking on a cult leader by yourself is impressive, your dedication is also impressive …" He shifted his eyes to look at me. "I remain skeptical … but maybe someday you will become a knight."

I felt a sense of relief come over me. "Oh, thank goodness … I mean, it's an honor, or, it will be, I mean-"

"You don't have to say anything." He said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Just promise me that as long as you're with her, you will keep her safe."

"I promise." I replied. "I will keep her safe, no matter what the danger is."

"Very good." He said with a smile. "Now join your friends before they begin to worry about you."

* * *

**Okay, so … apparently, no one knows about the major thing I hinted at but I guess that saying I have a hint isn't … specific, it's more like … it involves backstory, and there's going to be another in the next chapter that's going to be so obvious to people who have known me for a while that I will be very surprised if … wait … yeah, I did … kinda do that. I mean I have a lot of stuff in my head that I never put into paper but this was something that some of the people who know me should catch. There, I think I made it obvious enough. Now once again I say I have a tumbler account (Axis2400) where I post all my planed story ideas as well as whatever else I find interesting in case anyone cares. Also it's tumbler so … be warned.**

**R&amp;R**


	36. Chapter 36

**Okay, so the hint I was talking about was actually more of an Easter egg and … does have an importance to the story but more for a character than the actual plot. That being said, if you don't know what it is after this chapter then don't go looking for it, it will be more of a surprise that way. Now to the reviews.**

**MasterTigress4444: Yeah that episode was great, and I already have Star's reaction chapter written but it needs to be proofed for errors.**

**MCPlayer26: Yeah that … wait a SECOND! Who broke my fourth wall!**

**SVTFOEfanatic: *Sigh* optimism, are you by any chance related to Phineas? The grudge is stupid though, I'll give you that. I love that waiting game, let's make it last longer this time!**

**Your Fellow Thespian: If your referring to the story Starco, then it's not necessarily a gender swap story so much as a body fusion story. As for the knight … well … make of it what you wish.**

**Bigmike33321: I'll have to check it out at some point then.**

**JW TS D: Well, unless something horrible happens then this story will have and ending, just you wait.**

**Snowdrop: Working as fast as I can to get the chapters to you in a timely manner.**

**H. Mae: Oh, just wait until you see his reaction later. Well Marcus was till shy when he first meet Star and Marco but he's gradually warmed up to them and become great friends with them that he opens up more. As for Tom … well … I like him as a villain, but I'm NOT shipping him with a protagonist. Ha, I plan to make a few of them real story *cough* the masked charro *Cough***

**PureWishes02: Ummmmmmmm, aeiou. And don't worry about the Easter egg; you would have to be me or someone who is familiar with a few of my stories to get it.**

**Zues Killer Productions: Yeah, Roy's not going to be winning any elections any time soon. FIRE EMBLEM REFERENCE! You mean Toffee? I wrote a headcannon about his backstory on tumbler that will make you cry sweet tears of salty Mooffee.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: It might come back to bite him later, you never know.**

**tk97034057: Thank you.**

**JollyPayton: There is some background information that you would need to get in order to understand it, if you want I can point you too a few stories of mine that you might like that would have nothing to do with it.**

**MegaRocker101: Too late, already given.**

**Guest: In the show, Marco want's to protect Star, and that's not just from blood moon ball, he always wants to keep her safe, no matter what event though she doesn't need it, He is currently angry at her though so he doesn't want her around when he's protecting her, Stella is along for the ride because she loves to fight, as for Marcus, he was reserved and quiet because he was an orphan that not many people wanted to be around, when he meet Star, he started to open up and reveal his true nature. M&amp;M? You mean the singer? I don't think he was in this story.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

We had all made our way back to my place and I had some serious considering to do. "Damn, I'm tired." Marcus said as he threw himself on the couch. "You know, I never realized this, but your house is a lot like mine …" He sat up. "I haven't been here before, have I?"

"Don't think so." Stella answered. "Unless Star invited you over at one point."

"Nope." Marcus replied. "She never thought to-" Marcus was interrupted by the sound of barking and laser fire as the laser puppies ran into the room. "What the heck?" Marcus asked as he sat up.

"They are Star's laser puppies." Stella answered. They ran around, zapping us, as Marcus took cover behind the sofa. "Afraid of puppies?" She asked jokingly.

"No." Marcus replied before ducking a laser zap. "I just don't want to get hit."

Stella motioned to one of them who was zapping her. "They aren't painful." She turned to me. "Tell him Marco."

I didn't answer, I just continued staring off into space; thinking about what I was going to say to Star.

"MARCO!" Stella exclaimed.

I turned to her, surprised. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"Laser puppies." She explained.

"Oh." I picked one up and petted him. "What about them?" She pointed to Marcus who was hiding behind the couch. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about Marcus, just don't let them hit you in the eye."

"Really?" Marcus said as he took a peek out from cover.

"They only want to play." I answered.

Marcus stepped out and knelt down to pet one. "They are adorable." He said before tilting his head to avoid a laser zap. As Marcus was petting one, another stared at him, and began growling; which was really peculiar. "Is that normal?" Marcus asked.

"Not really." I answered as I knelt down to look at the puppy.

The puppy zapped Marcus in the side and Marcus recoiled. "Ow!" He stated. "That stung."

"They don't sting." I said as I took a closer look at the one growling at Marcus.

It zapped Marcus again causing him to recoil. "Ow!" He stated again. "What's wrong with him?"

"You okay Bagel?" I asked.

"Bagel?" Marcus asked me as Bagel zapped him again. "I'm under attack!" He shouted as he ducked behind the sofa again.

"Haven't seen them do that before." I said as I watched the battle that was taking place before me.

"Yeah well it seems that Bagel doesn't like me." Marcus retorted.

Stella reached down to grab Bagel, but he jumped away and continued attacking Marcus. "Come here you." She said, as she tried again; only to end up with a similar result. "Marco, get Star, maybe she knows what to do."

"I'm on it." I said as I made my way upstairs. I rushed to her door and was about to knock when I remembered that she might not want to talk to me at the moment. I took a deep breath and gave the door a knock. After a moment of silence I decided to knock again, with sill no response. I finally gave up and grabbed the door knob. "Star?" I asked as I opened the door a crack. "I know … that were not on the best of terms right now, but Marcus needs help." I opened the door some more. "If you don't want me coming in, then say something now." There was still no response so I opened the door all the way only to find that no one was there. "Damn." I said as I took a quick look around. "Looks like she went out."

"WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!" I heard Marcus scream from the back yard. I looked out the window to see that he had run behind a tree in his attempt to escape Bagel; but Bagel wasn't letting up.

"Star's not home." I shouted from the window.

"So what am I supposed to do about him?" Marcus asked as he pointed to Bagel.

"Hold on, I'll be right down." I walked out of Star's room and down the stairs. "I wonder where Star went."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was at the mall, wearing my new outfit that the members of my cult had made for me;. I was currently looking for Mathew, and decided that if he wasn't here then I might be able to find someone who would know.

"Star?" I heard someone ask as she almost fell at seeing me.

"Yes?" I replied as I turned to address them; it was a girl, not much younger than me, with long red hair.

"You're … you're wearing …" She began as she almost collapsed.

"You mean this?" I asked as I walked over to her, indicating the dress I was wearing. "This was made for me by some friends."

"I … I …" She stumbled back a little and caught herself on a wall.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I tried to help her.

"I … I'm fine, I'm fine." She got out. "I just … didn't expect you to …"

"Wait a second." I began. "Are you a part of the Cult of Star?"

"Me?" She asked nervously as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I … I'm not that important."

"Wait, you are?" I asked. She nodded. "Were you one of the ones who worked on this dress?"

She looked away nervously. "Oh, I … I didn't … I mean I helped but …"

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "Tell me."

She laughed weekly and looked away. "Well … I … made a basic design, but I'm not that good with my hands; so someone else had to put it together."

"Well I love the design." I replied. "And I wanted to thank you."

"You like it?" She asked as she began to get excited. "No, I mean …" She took a breath. "Thank you, I … I'm really glad."

She was silent, until I noticed that she was still nervous. "Do you need to sit?"

"Oh please." She replied instantly.

We made our way to the nearby food court where we were greeted by another member of the cult. "Star?" A guy wearing a skull t-shirt said as he noticed us sitting down.

"Would you like to join us?" I asked.

"Can I?" He caught himself and cleared his throat. "I mean … sure, I'd … I mean I'd love to."

Before long even more people showed up, and I had asked each and every one of them to join us. A few asked if I needed anything and I sent them to grab food for everyone, and I was asking others about how their day was going. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise." Mathew said as he came upon us.

"Hi Mathew." I replied. "Care to join us?"

"My pleasure … but … can I talk to you about something … in private?"

I was about to get up, but then I noticed a few people who looked sad that I might be leaving. "Is it that important?" I asked. "Why does it need to be kept a secret?"

He looked around, concerned. "Um … well …" He sighed then shook his head. "Roy's vanished."

Everyone went silent for a moment before I responded. "What do you mean Roy's vanished?" I asked.

"I mean usually he is surrounded by his underlings, and when he isn't, he's always leaves a time when he'll return to them."

"Yeah." Someone else replied. "I heard that his last update was supposed to be at noon or something."

"It's four." I replied. "He's been missing for four hours?"

All three tables fell silent, until Mathew took a seat across from me. "He's not one to not check in, especially not … now."

"Now?" I asked.

"Well there are the rumors about the sterilized silver and … well …" Mathew looked at all the tables then motioned to everyone else.

"Oh." I replied as I realized what he was talking about. "Wait a second, this is a great opportunity."

"How so?" Mathew asked.

"Well there are a lot of rumors going around about him already, and his disappearance only makes it easier to spread more." I smiled. "Maybe, for instance, the unholy ritual he performed on the silver backfired on him and destroyed his soul. Or maybe he abandoned his servants, which is something I would surely never do."

"I get it!" Someone shouted.

"Spread as many rumors about what happened as physically possible to make people stop believing in his heresy!" Someone else shouted.

More began shouting, and then some began taking off to spread the rumors. Before long, everyone had begun to move out, some stopped to bow to me before leaving and before I knew it, it was just Mathew and myself. "This is it Mathew." I replied. "This could be the end of Roy!"

"Exactly." Mathew replied. "And with no leader-"

"His members will flock to me like the precious lost lambs they are." I said sweetly. "I can't wait until his influence is gone."

"You should be worried Star, there's a possibility that it was the group that I told you about the other day."

"They're nothing to be worried about." I replied as I sat back. "Worst comes to worst, I'll take care of them myself."

He looked at me in amazement. "You'd … you'd do that for us?"

"For you?" I asked. "Well, yeah it would be for you guys as well, but I'm also implicated in this, right?"

Mathew was in a state of shock until he broke down and almost began crying. "Oh, thank you Star, bless you and your pure heart!"

"I'm just happy to serve my people." I replied with a smile.

* * *

(No one's POV)

(A while later)

Marcus was sitting with his parents at the dinner table eating his mother's home cooked lasagna. "So did you have a good day?" Marcus's mom asked.

"It was … interesting." Marcus replied. "But yeah, it was a good day."

"Glad to hear it." She replied. "They're ever so nice, especially that Star girl."

"So when do I get to meet her, Marcus?" Marcus's father asked. "I've been hearing a lot about her, but she only came over once while I was at work."

"She's not the type to hang out at someone's house." Marcus began. "She likes going on adventures and things like that."

"Sounds like someone else you told us about." Marcus's father replied. "A special girl with blond hair who loves excitement, now what was her name again?" Marcus felt a cold sensation come over himself, causing him to stiffen.

"I think it was Spirit." Marcus's mom stated.

"No, that what you call a horse." Marcus's father replied. "No, I think it was … Hope?"

"Faith." Marcus replied. "Her name … was Faith." He began playing with his food as he thought about her.

"You two were close, right?" Marcus's father asked. "I mean really close, but you never told us what happened."

Marcus sighed and put his fork down. "She … chose someone else."

There was an awkward silence for a time. "I'm … sorry Marcus." His father replied. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." Marcus interrupted. "Like you said, I never told you before."

The awkward tension in the air was then cut by the sound of a small dog barking, from the living room. "What is that?" Marcus's father asked.

"No." Marcus said as he remembered earlier. "He couldn't have." Marcus got up and walked into the living room and sure enough, he saw Bagel standing right there, growling at him. "How did you find me?"

Bagel zapped Marcus, who recoiled, and his parents rushed over to see what it was. "A dog?" Marcus's mother asked.

"One of Star's laser puppies." Marcus answered as he pushed his parents back into the kitchen. "Bagel to be precise; and for some reason he doesn't like me much."

Bagel rushed into the room, bit down on Marcus's pant leg and started yanking at it. "I'm going to take him back to Star's house." Marcus said as he picked the puppy up, only to have it try and zap him again. "The sooner the better."

* * *

**Firstly, OMG that you all so much for the reviews! This might be my first SVTFOE story but it's already number two for most reviews for all my stories (losing to 'Not better left unsaid' *hint* *hint*) and thank you all so much! Now for some more important information, if you didn't see the Easter egg in this chapter then like I said before; don't go looking for it or anything, it will come to you in time. Now I have to post this chapter and get ready for work at 8 in the morning.**

**R&amp;R**


	37. Chapter 37

**I don't think I can be any more upset with my boss right now, I told him that I wasn't free today yet he insisted on being a compete idiot and not looking at the schedule while making it and now, no one is working at all. I swear, I can't wait until I have a new job, but I digress, this is a short chapter, not much important in it, in fact, you can skip it and you won't miss much. Now to get to the reviews.**

**MCPlayer26: I'm glad to have dedicated fans like you.**

**H. Mae: Who is Faith? … I … I don't know how to respond to that … um … it's a surprise.**

**Thefanficsdelight: It was not as awesome as people lead me to think it would be.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: No the name 'Sprite' wasn't a reference; I just pulled it out of the blue.**

**PFTones3482: I really love your theory and I'm glad that you like my story so much, I just wish I could get some work done on it today other than posting one chapter.**

**FanfictionForDayz: That might be my next SVTFOE fic, but I need to think on it.**

**MasterTigress4444: Might be, might not be.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Wow, you predicted it correctly; they're not even in this chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Maybe it is something like that, I don't know.**

**JollyPayton: You know I don't think I'm going to say if you got it right or wrong, more fun that way.**

**Snowdrop: Glad you're happy.**

**Zues Killer Productions: It might.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(No one's POV)

The room was dark, lit only by the dim torches that lined the walls. As The Asset walked in, the mirror on the wall activated, and the silhouette appeared. "What news do you have for me tonight?" He asked.

"Roy has been dealt with." The Asset replied. "The heretic will be a problem no more."

"So the rumors are true." The cult leader said as he entered the room. "And here I thought he was still out there."

"The same will happen to you, soon, if you're not careful." The Asset retorted.

"Soon is not soon enough." The cult leader replied gleefully. "My plan is going well, and I am ready to take it to the next step ... tomorrow."

"Is that so?" The silhouette asked. "So you have everything you require then?"

"I do." He replied. "And no one can stop me, that is unless my stupid brother gets in my way."

"Your brother?" The Asset asked. "Is a child that much of a nuisance?"

"My brother is the other cult leader, and his plan isn't failing as I hoped it would." The cult leader turned away slightly. "My sources tell me that he has something planed tomorrow … it might cause a little trouble."

"How do you plan on handling that trouble?" The silhouette asked.

"I'll have Marco take care of it." The cult leader replied. "After dealing with Roy, he'll probably tear my brother to shreds, figuratively of course."

"Marco will tear you to shreds as well." The Asset replied.

"I can handle Marco." The cult leader answered.

"Speaking of Marco." The silhouette interrupted. "How is progress going?"

"Rocky." The Asset replied. "But if something big is happening tomorrow, then it could make or break our plans for him."

"And if it breaks your plan, then I will serve as the vessel." The cult leader added.

"Only if it breaks." The silhouette added. "He's too much of a threat to keep around if he's not the one I use. But I wouldn't mind torturing him."

"Someone's jealous." The Asset replied.

"It's not jealously." The silhouette said before turning around. "I will never forgive him for what he took from me." The Asset and cult leader looked at each other, confused, as the silhouette went on. "She was mine, HE WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!" The silhouette clenched his fists as the torches erupted into an inferno. "That dance was meant for ME!"

"Master?" The cultist stated, concerned.

"I WILL ROAST HIM!" The silhouette said as fire illuminated the shadows, revealing the back of a horned humanoid demon. He turned around and looked at the two standing in front of him. "You make sure Marco survives, no one is going to kill him but ME!"

"Yes Master Tom." The cult leader said as he took to his knee.

Tom turned to The Asset who looked concerned. "Are there any problems?"

The Asset crossed its arms. "Killing Marco WASN'T part of my contract."

"If it's not him, then I will not take my vessel until he dies!" Tom exclaimed. "How's that for part of the contract, number six?"

"Don't call me that." The Asset retorted. "I will have no part in Marco's death." The Asset turned around.

"Then don't interfere." Tom retorted. "I will have my revenge on him, one way or another."

There was no response from The Asset. After a short time, the cult leader began walking out the door. "I must prepare, there is much to do." And with that, he left leaving the Asset and Tom alone.

"The only way for Marco to live is for the cult to fail." Tom began. "And even then, I will have his soul, there is nothing that you can do."

"I can keep up my end of the contract." The Asset replied before leaving.

* * *

**Yeah, so that chapter wasn't important, I figured, 'yeah, by now everyone's figured it out I mean, I impulsively leave clues all over everything I do on almost all of my sites so how can they not know?' So this chapter wasn't really necessary. It did set up for the next chapter somewhat but … yeah … it was unnecessary to read.**

**R&amp;R**


	38. Chapter 38

**I have a new respect for every person who went through Ludo's interview, man are they stressful. But I digress, apparently not everyone knew that Tom was the person in the mirror which actually surprised me and reminded me of something, I have a facts page that I've been typing up for a while now and I throw facts into it every time they come up. I think that their interesting but I wanted to know, who wants me to post them at some point in the future? I would continue to write this note but my hands feel like jelly so I'm going to skip to the reviews.**

**MCPlayer26: It did, they just need me so much that they call me in every chance they get.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: Yeah, I guess my hints weren't as obvious as I thought they were.**

**Zues Killer Productions: Tom is a demon, what did you expect to happen when Marco took his girlfriend?**

**SVTFOEfanatic: I like making people play the waiting game … it fills me with joy.**

**JollyPayton: Don't say that, in retrospect, all the hints I had were only obvious if you knew it was him so don't feel bad about not knowing it was him.**

**H. Mae: No, if it was KND then it would be Numbuh, not number, also you reminded me of the first couple I ever shipped, guess who they were. Please, continue guessing, it gives me power! Also when I wrote the first response to your review I accidentally gave away who the asset was but managed to catch it right before posting this chapter, so close, am I right?**

**The Era Thief: Ummmmmmmmmm … well … I've … actually written up to chapter 44 so … yeah … I can't take requests.**

**MasterTigress4444: I had an interview today which nearly gave me a heart attack, does that count?**

**Anon: I don't want to spoil the surprise but he's not in this chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I'll keep it up as best I can.**

**retrofan1: Wait … you mean Tom? Do you mean that you think I only just added him in? I was planning on that from the start.**

**FanfictionForDayz: I'm going to go into detail about this at the end of the chapter but I had planned on using Tom as the main antagonist from the start.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I had gotten up early because I was excited to hear news about my plan to gather Roy's henchmen. I also was eager to hear what people had found out about his disappearance. I was wearing the white dress again after giving it a proper wash. I was running down the stairs and I caught the Diaz's setting up for the party, marking Stella's thirty first day here. "Good morning Star." Both Mr. and Mrs. Diaz greeted.

"Good morning, sorry I can't stay for the party." I said as I rushed to the door.

I was about to open it when someone grabbed my hand, preventing me from reaching the door. "Can we talk?" Marco asked as I looked at him.

"What, you haven't talked to me enough about what happened?" I asked as I yanked my arm free. "I know what I did was wrong, so why bother talking about it?"

Marco looked away before answering. "Because I approached you about it the wrong way." I was surprised by Marco's response, so I let him continue. "Look, regardless of what you did, I didn't have all the facts when I approached you, and …" He looked to the side. "I also kinda let my feelings get the better of me when I yelled at you."

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean you didn't have all the facts?"

Marco hesitated before explaining. "I … I talked to Jackie recently … she told me, that she told you, she knew about my feelings for her … which would be ample reason for you to think I need to get over her; even if it didn't warrant lying to me, I still had no right to snap at you like that."

"Marco." I said softly as I began to overflow with joy. "I … so … you forgive me?"

"Well …" he began as he scratched the back of his head. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me."

"Then I forgive you." I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a big hug. "So does this mean we're friends again?"

"Sure but … could you … tell me … what's been going on?" He asked.

"What's been going on?" I replied as I looked at him, confused.

He sighed and looked away. "I know it's … mostly my fault because I pushed you away and all, but … I've noticed that you've been up to some … things lately."

"What things?" I asked.

"Like tell me about your new friends." He began. "The ones that …" He looked away. "The ones you were hanging out with while I was angry with you. Like at lunch, in the halls, and … you even seem to spend a lot more time out of the house than usual." He turned back to face me. "Could you … let me back in?"

"Oh … that." I looked away nervously. I should have figured that Marco would have noticed something strange going on by now, but I couldn't put him in danger when it was my mess to deal with; and it was something I would still be able to handle with the help from the cultists. "It's … it's nothing you need to worry about."

"It's not that, it's-" He facepalmed then looked down slightly, with a disappointed look on his face. "I want to be let in … I guess I blew that, and now we'll never be the friends like we used to be."

"Don't say that!" I shouted as I grabbed his shoulders. "I just … you need to trust that I can handle this on my own."

"It's not that I don't trust you Star." He replied. "It's … never mind." He turned around and walked away.

"Wait." I stated, ignoring the fact that I noticed that the Diaz's had vanished from the room. "This is something … I have to do by myself."

"Yourself?" He asked as he turned slightly.

"Yes, and I promise that I'll give you all the details ... after." I pleaded. "But you have to trust me to do what's best, don't be so apprehensive."

Marco turned around and gave me a look. "You mean, what's best for you?"

I nodded.

He shook his head, then turned around and walked to the kitchen. "Just go."

I watched as he walked away, feeling like I just blew a perfect opportunity to make everything better; but I couldn't drag him into this, not now, not ever. I turned back to the door and reached out to open it, when it opened itself. Marcus was standing there with one of the laser puppies biting his elbow. "This is the third time I'm bringing him back here, seriously, this is getting tiring."

"Sorry about that." I said as I took Bagel. "I have no idea what's got into him."

"Neither do I." He said as he walked in. "Were you going out?"

"Yeah." I replied. "I'm going down town to meet Mathew."

Marcus thought to himself for a moment before he realized who I was talking about. "You mean that guy from a few days ago?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's showing me this old abandoned building that he plans to turn into a club house."

"Cool, you going by yourself or … are you and Marco still-"

"I think we solved things." I replied. "But … he's still upset that I don't want him to come with me."

"Why …" He shook his head. "Never mind, I need to help Marco with something anyway, so have fun."

"I will." I replied as I set Bagel down and moved around Marcus. I made my way out and closed the door behind me. "Now to meet up with Mathew."

* * *

(Marcos POV)

I walked into the kitchen and heard the faint sounds of conversation between Marcus and Star. "Bet she'd trust him." I mumbled.

"Something the matter Marco?" My father asked.

"Wha-" I said as I noticed my parents. "But weren't you two … like …"

"We came in here as soon as you and Star began talking." My mom answered. "We thought it best to give you some privacy."

"Thanks." I sighed. "I just wish Star would let me help her."

"Sounds to me like you don't trust her to look out for herself." My mom replied. "Again."

"This is different from the Blood Moon Ball!" I retorted.

"That's right." My father began. "Back then, you were jealous; as well as not trusting her, now you simply don't trust her."

"She doesn't understand!" I retorted. "Whether she likes it or not, I'm involved in this. It's not something as simple as an ex who she has dealt with before, these are fanatics!"

My parents' eyes went from disappointed to worry. "What do you mean, fanatics?" My father asked.

"Seriously?" Marcus asked as he poked his head into the kitchen. "So we're telling everyone now?"

I ignored Marcus and continued. "Star has inspired a cult." I began. "And … she says that she can handle it; but there was no reason that she couldn't, at the very least, tell me about it."

"You think you can handle cultists?" My mom asked hysterically.

"No, I don't." I replied. "That's why I told King Butterfly about it." Both my parents began to calm down when they heard that the king was going to handle it. "He's going to talk to her and I wanted to be there … because there's a very good chance that he will take her away."

My dad placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay with that?" He asked.

I looked up at him. "If I can't convince him that the situation is under control, then I have no choice in the matter." I ran my fingers through my hair. "And Star trying to keep me as far away as possible isn't helping matters at all."

Both my parents looked at me, concerned. "You must do what you feel is best." My mom stated. "As long as you can live with it."

"Thank you." I replied, as I began walking away.

"Just remember, you and Star are connected forever!" My father yelled after me.

I paused and turned back around. "How did you … never mind." I said as I shook my head. "I don't want to know."

I continued walking, and I was half way up the stairs when Marcus began talking. "What's your deal?" He asked. "First you're going to tell Star and do what she says, then you go and say you'll do whatever it takes to keep her here; and now you want whatever's best for her no matter what it costs? Why are you so indecisive?"

"I don't know." I said as I continued up the stairs.

"I can think of a reason." Marcus retorted. "Marco … I think you're in love with Star."

"I'm not in love with her." I said as I continued to her room.

"Then what's with this Blood Moon Ball?" Marcus demanded.

I spun around and looked Marcus in the eye. "I didn't trust Tom and I wanted to make sure Star was safe!" I snapped. "Sure, in retrospect, I should have known Star could have taken care of herself, but …" I turned back around. "I heard a voice."

"If you're trying to convince me you're not crazy, then you're doing a poor job of it." Marcus retorted.

"It was in Star's room … I have no idea what it was … but it said that the blood moon was … the moon of lovers."

"Now you're doing a poor job of convincing me that you don't love her." Marcus retorted.

"I didn't want to take the risk that Tom would try something … inappropriate."

Marcus facepalmed and shook his head. "Great … just great. You're so indecisive and she probably still picked you."

"Say what?" I asked.

"At least you're her friend and not some silent introvert who spends all his time in a corner."

"We're not talking about Star anymore, are we?" I asked nervously.

"Never mind." Marcus said as he stormed past me. "Let's just get this done."

We both made our way to Star's room, where Stella was already waiting. "Glad to see you two managed to take time away from arguing to make it." She stated.

"Let's just get this over with." I said as I dialed up Star's father.

After a moment, King Butterfly appeared in the mirror with a prison cell behind him; which contained Roy. "Ah, Marco, I was just about to contact you."

"Star didn't want to tell me anything." I replied. "She still wants to handle this by herself."

"I never asked you to try." He replied. "I could have told you that was going to happen."

"I thought that … never mind." I replied.

"Are you happy now?" Roy asked as he grabbed the bars. "Do you know what he did to me?!"

"You had it coming." I replied. "Find out anything?"

"I have." The king replied. He turned to Roy. "Why don't you tell them?"

Roy turned away, slightly. "Mathew … he almost has control of Star."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "How is that possible? I just talked to her!"

"He has her wrapped around his finger like a ring." He replied happily. "I was the only one who decided to use force. The others … have other means."

"Why are you telling us this?" Stella asked.

"Oh, it might have something to do with the fact that you've CAPTURED ME, IMPRISONED ME, AND BRANDED MY CHEST WITH A MAGICAL BRAND THAT MAKES SURE SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME; EVEN WHEN I USE THE BLASTED BATHROOM!"

"He could still be lying." Stella added.

"I'm not taking that chance." I said as I turned around. "If he is trying to trick Star, then she might not know what she's getting into."

"Did you say Mathew?" Marcus asked.

We all turned to Marcus. "Why?" I asked.

Marcus paused before replying. "She … just left to meet with a guy named Mathew."

We all paused and I felt a sense of dread come over me. "No." I began. "Where did she say she was going?!" I demanded.

"How do you know if he's telling the truth?" Stella asked.

"Because Janna told me that one of the cult leaders has Star." I turned back to Roy. "But I had no idea what it meant at the time … but if he has her brainwashed-"

"That's proof enough for an intervention." The king replied. "Where did she say she was going?"

"Some abandoned building down town." Marcus replied.

"I'm going." I stated as I began walking.

"You don't even know what building!" Stella shouted after me.

I stopped and turned around. "There can't be too many abandoned building left that they haven't used; I will search through all of them if I have to."

"She's going to be mad." Stella replied.

"You don't say." I turned around and started walking again.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was at the location where Mathew mentioned that everyone was going to gather. Today, I was going to finally accept Mathew's section of the cult and turn them against Lannister. "Kinda spacious." I said as I arrived at the abandoned theater. It looked like it was missing half the seats, and parts of the stage had collapsed, but at least there was light.

"Ah, Star Butterfly." Mathew said as he walked up to me. "Glad you decided to come."

"Why is it so empty?" I asked as I looked around.

"Because I told everyone to arrive an hour from now, but seeing as they'll be overly excited they'll probably be really early and …"

"STAR!" Someone shouted from behind me. I turned around to see that a handful of cultists had already arrived and were now running up to me.

"Back!" Mathew said as he got between us. They stopped slightly, but still tried to inch closer. "Sorry Star, they … started following you a while back."

"That's all right." I said as I moved around Mathew. I walked up to each of the cultists and gave them a hug, and told them how happy I was to see them.

"Great." Mathew said after I hugged the last one, just as more were coming through the door. "Now if you'll excuse us, I need to help Star get ready."

Everyone looked sad but I gave them a smile. "I'll only be a few minutes." I told them causing them to cheer up.

I went backstage with Mathew, who had a slightly concerned look on his face when we were out of view. "Star." He began. "I have some … or … a lot of bad news."

I sighed. "And I was having such an almost pleasant day."

"Sorry but … I think it's important that you hear this."

"Just one!" I said as I held up a finger. "I need to stay happy for my people."

He shrugged. "Okay, but don't blame me if you regret that request later." He pulled a piece of paper out from under his cloak. "From what we understand, Lannister has all the supplies he needs for whatever he has planned."

"Do we even know what he has planned?" I asked.

"Some form of performance enhancer, it pushes the body to a limit that … simply isn't natural."

"How unnatural?" I asked, hopping that this wouldn't get worse.

"Very." He replied. "A regular human couldn't survive it for long, not strong enough. We think some of the other materials he has have something to deal with that."

"What else does he have and how does this enhancer work?"

"The other stuff he has does something … mental, as for the enhancer, it causes a sharp increase in hormones but … I just don't understand it." He began pacing as he ran his fingers through his hair. "There are so many easier ways to get the human body to do the feats that this would mimic, it's like … I'm missing something."

"Well don't worry about it." I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Mathew smiled just as Rebeca was walking backstage. "Are you ready my princess?" She asked.

"Please, call me Star." I replied. "And yes, I'm ready."

"All right then." Mathew said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "All you have to do is make them feel safe. Let them know that you love being friends with them and that you love to have them serve you. They'll accept anything you say, so no worries."

"All right." I said as I began walking to the stage. "No pressure." I walked out onto the stage, and noted that the entire auditorium had filled up in the short time that I was backstage. "Wow." I whispered. The room went silent as everyone turned their attention to me. I took a breath and began. "Well I'm honored that so many of you made it, to say the least." I cleared my throat. "And I know that a few of you were following Roy, for one reason or another, and yes, what Roy was doing was wrong. But that doesn't condemn anyone but him." I looked over the audience once, then continued. "Roy is gone now and anyone who wishes to change their ways is welcome to come over to the right side." I looked over the audience again and smiled. "Everyone deserves a second chance, so anyone who wants a second chance, stand up and kneel before me."

Half the audience got up and rushed on stage and took to knee before me. I looked over everyone before speaking again. "Now every one who wasn't involved with Roy's sterilized silver, stand up and step forward."

A number of them stood up and took a step forward leaving five kneeling. I walked up to each standing cultist and hugged them, before thanking them and sending them back to their seats until only the five kneeling were left. I walked up the first one and looked down on him. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Kevin." He replied.

"What part did you have to play with the silver?" I continued

"I was the one who lead the attack on you with the silver baton." He pulled out the baton which I could tell was devoid of its soul. "Please, I had no idea what I was using, I thought it was enchanted or something. I didn't mean to use it against you."

I took a few steps back with my eyes trained on the silver. "MATHEW!" I shouted. Mathew ran up and took away the baton as I tried to calm down. Rebeca ran over and threw a blanket over my shoulders but I raised a hand telling her it was okay. "You attacked me." I stated.

"I was an idiot, I was unaware of just how sacred you were in person." He pleaded. "Please, I'll do anything to earn forgiveness."

I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So … you fight?"

"Yes, my Princess." He pleaded.

"And you want to earn your second chance?"

"Yes Princess." He repeated.

I smiled. "Then you can protect each and every one here."

He looked up. "You want me … to be a body guard?"

"For them." I stated as I motioned over the crowd. "You will keep them safe, and that will be your first priority, understood?"

"Yes my Princess." He said as he looked down again.

"Good." I motioned for him to stand and I gave him a hug. "Then you should get to it." He bowed, then walked over to the edge of the stage. "The door." I noted causing him to look over. "That's where trouble comes from the most, right?" He was hesitant, but he nodded and walked over to the far door.

I walked over to the next one. "What is your name?"

"Michel." He replied.

"And what was your role with the sterilized silver?"

"I was one of the purifiers." He stated.

"Purifiers?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"Yes my Queen, I was one of the people who worked on taking the magic out of the silver."

"Burnt." I hissed.

"Say what?" He asked.

"To sterilize silver, the magic must be burnt out, not removed. And it's sterilized, not purified."

"Does it matter?" He asked.

I clenched my wand and pointed it at him. "EXCOMMUNICATION BLAST!" I shouted blasting him off the stage. By the time he looked up, his cloak had started to burn and before he could start panicking, his cloak had completely burnt away. "Get him out of my sight!" I shouted. A bunch of people sitting in the front row got up to drag him out, but only the first two who got to him were able to take up the task.

I walked to the next one in the line and looked down on him. "Who are you and what did you do to the silver?" I demanded.

He was slow to respond and his response was quiet. "I don't deserve a second chance."

"And why's that?" I asked.

He was once again slow to respond. "Because it's my fault that he was able to get as much as he did."

He was silent, but I was curious as to exactly what he did. "Go on."

"I was the one who found the mine he used to get a majority of his silver."

I was shocked, but I had yet to hear something that deemed him unworthy of a second chance. "How much silver did he have there?"

"I was dimension hopping … the place was small … but there must have been several tones of silver there."

"How much did he have?" I asked.

"On paper, half a ton, in actuality; the last time I was there, it was dry."

"So all of it?" I asked, annoyed.

"Yes my Prin … I don't get to call you that anymore do I?"

"Can you find it?" I asked.

He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry?" He asked.

"Can you find all of the silver that was sterilized?" I asked again.

He shook his head. "Sorry."

I rubbed my wand. "Well … that's too bad."

"I won't be able to tell if it's sterilized or not until after I find it." He finished.

I stopped rubbing my wand. "So … you can find all the silver Roy used?"

"I can find it." He replied. "Getting it … might be hard."

"It'll do for now." I replied. I saw his eyes go wide. "That's what you'll have to do, find the silver, save as much that can be saved; and we will morn and respect that which can't."

"Thank you … my Princess." I motioned for him to stand and I gave him a hug. "And … my name is Ryan."

"Thank you Ryan." I motioned for him to join Mathew, then walked over to the next one in line. "And what might your name be?"

"Paul." He replied.

"Now, what did you do to the silver, Paul?"

"I was a smith." He replied with his hands in his sleeves. "I was responsible for forging it into weapons like the baton Kevin had."

"Anything else?"

"Yes." He began. "Sterilized silver is … difficult to work with, you need a specialist to forge it, and I was the only one who knew how."

"So there's no one else who can mold it?"

He shook his head. "None that I know of."

"Then I know what you can do to earn your second chance." I began. "A special ceremony is required when laying sterilized silver down to rest. You can help with that."

"Thank you Princess." He replied. "But … I don't want a second chance."

I was shocked at his reaction, and the others began reacted in disbelief. "Then … why did you come here?"

He looked up slowly and smiled. "The same reason I joined the cult to begin with, I wanted to get rid of a monster that has been plaguing our world for too long." Before I could react, he darted up, and pulled out a dagger made from sterilized silver. Time seemed to slow down as I reached for my wand, and attempted to take a few steps back. Sadly, he had one hand on my shoulder and the other ready to stab me before I even had my hand on my wand. Time seemed to slow down further, as the dagger came closer. My life began to flash before my eyes, before his weapon could reach me however, he stopped only a few inches from my face. I looked around, really quickly to find out what was going on; and saw that the last cultist had gotten up and intercepted the assassin's arm before his weapon could plunge into me. This mysterious hero quickly twisted the assassin's arm into an arm bar, then came down on the elbow; causing a very unsettling crack and the assassin to scream in agony as it broke. The assassin dropped the dagger and the cultist kicked it far away. The cultist then swung the assassin so he went stumbling off the stage, falling to the floor. I looked over to where the assassin fell and pointed my wand at him, but before I could blast him, the hero cultist waved his hand in front of me and pulled out a match. Before I could protest he jumped down and placed a foot on the assassin's cloak. The hero then lit the match and held it over the assassin who had just come to, and began scrambling out of his cloak. When the assassin finally got out, the hero dropped the match on the cloak and turned to the assassin.

The assassin tried to run, but by the time he got up, he was already surrounded by cultists. "Wait." I said from atop the stage. "Do we have a room to lock him up in?" I asked as I turned to Mathew. "I'd like to … have a talk with him."

He nodded and several cultists dragged the assassin into the back room. I turned to the hero cultist who had made his way back on stage and was already kneeling. "Thank you." I said as I stood over him.

"It was nothing." He said in a graveled voice. "I was just doing what any servant of yours would do."

"Well thank you anyway." I replied. "Now, what's your name and … how are you connected to the silver?"

He took some time before replying. "I stole some from a cult storage house."

"Really?" I asked. "And what did-"

"I also tracked down the forge which Roy was originally using to smelt and craft the silver." He interrupted. I was a little surprised at his response, but I was pleased none the less. "Once there I encountered Roy himself, we fought, he ran, and I grabbed everything I could find."

I turned back to Mathew, who looked as confused as me. "You … found Roy?"

He nodded. "Not long after that … I found his main hide out, I gathered a few friends, and we stormed it. Again, I found Roy and fought him. I crushed him, I peeled off his sterilized silver chainmail, and threw him into a cell like the animal he was."

The entire audience was dead silent; I almost didn't believe what this guy was saying. "You … you took down Roy?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Why?" I asked softly. "Why did you take on Roy with only a handful of friends?"

"Because I am a true friend." He said in a normal and familiar voice as he stood up. He pushed his hood back, revealing the face of my best friend Marco. "And I was going to stop him, whether you wanted me to or not."

* * *

**Alright everyone, this is important, I had planned to use Tom as the guy pulling the strings since this story started. I'm not joking, why do you think I wanted to finish this story before BMB? It was always going to be Tom and I wanted to use him as a villain before him first main appearance. I am kinda glad though because I got to add in a few extras from BMB and it also inspired a few changes. Also, can someone please guess what Marcus's backstory is? Please, I've given enough hints, someone guess it now and I will make an 'ask the OC's' story at some point in the future. Also, I've written up to chapter 44 meaning that I'm a full story arch ahead of you all so don't be afraid to guess at what's going to happen next, I really, really like seeing people guess, they fill me with power.**

**R&amp;R**


	39. Chapter 39

**Who's excited for the new episode of SVTFOE this Monday? If you raised you hand or said 'yes' then I have news for you, THERE ISN'T A NEW EPISODE THIS MONDAY! Trolling aside, I bet a lot of people are eager to see how that cliffhanger is going to be resolved so I'll get to the reviews in just a moment. I bet a lot of you are confused right now though, why on earth would Axis24 make such a great cliffhanger only to resolve it the next day? He must have turned over a new leaf or something. Well, if I were you, I wouldn't be looking on the other side of that leaf just yet. Also, I've gotten a lot of guest reviews and although I am weeping with joy at them, a lot of them are from previous chapters. So here's my new policy, I will respond to reviews in the following chapter, but if you are late getting on the train and can't review for a chapter before the next one is up, I will try and send you a personal response, I know it's not as impressive as putting your name in the chapter, and I can't really do that with guest reviews, but it's the best I've got, sorry. Now for the reviews.**

**Sabrina06: Well she is a princess but yeah, when it comes to these people, you can't be to carful and you already know how this chapter is going to end and I loved you response to that.**

**Zues Killer Productions: Your review kinda confused me but I'm guessing your referring to the assassin, and yes, it's a good thing he was caught and isn't going to be a threat later on.**

**H. Mae: Yeah, I almost gave away so much in that review. I like your theories … but Marcus wasn't referring to himself when he mentioned an introvert, he was referring to the guy he lost the love of his life too. Not many people trust Mathew, I know he's a cult leader and all but that doesn't mean he's going to do something horrible, or that something horrible is about to go down. Okay, the first two people I ever shipped was Numbuh 3 and 4, you mentioned KND which is what reminded me of them.**

**FanfictionForDayz: Yeah, I wanted to make it dramatic and it pleases me that a number of people didn't see it coming.**

**MasterTigress4444: Things are about to get a lot more interesting.**

**The Era Thief: There is going to be a lot of explanation in this chapter now that I think about it.**

**Lightset: Glad you like it.**

**Finnjr63: You'll find out.**

**JollyPayton: Glad to see your enjoying it.**

**PureWishes02: Yeah, I am a little fast when it comes to updating and you'll see just how much of a hero Marco is soon enough.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well, their source was Roy who they don't have much reason to trust so they might not jump on him as quickly.**

**retrofan1: Thank you.**

**Bigmike33321: You know me so well.**

**phoenixhunter300: The intensity has spiked.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Pretty much.**

**BloodyBullets648: A vampire that plays with fire? That is an interesting concept … maybe it's true.**

**next my pov: You will see soon enough.**

**Snowdrop: Sorry I wasn't able to respond to your review last chapter, you were just a few seconds too late.**

**JW TS: Wow … I didn't think anyone would pick up on that so fast.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I stood in awe as Marco glared at me. He had clearly known more than he originally let on. "What? Are you speechless now?" He asked. "Can you not believe that I've known about this cult for so long, or is it that you cannot believe that I took Roy down?"

"Marco." I began as I took a few steps back. "What … what are you-"

"What am I doing here?" He asked. "Well, yesterday I captured Roy and I was thinking that I would follow it up ... with Mathew."

"Mathew's not like Roy!" I retorted. "And I can handle myself, how many times do I need to tell you that I don't need a hero?!"

"Really?" He asked. "So an assassin coming at you with a dagger is something you call 'under control'?"

Mathew stepped between Marco and I, and I took a few steps back. "I was literally a millisecond behind you Marco." Mathew stated. "There's no need for you to be so rash, I'm just as capable of protecting her as you."

"Move aside Mathew." Marco retorted. "You'll get yours soon enough, but I want to have a word with Star first."

"Your conversation with the princess is over." Mathew stated.

"It's okay Mathew." I said as I gently pushed him aside. "Marco would never hurt me, even if he was furious with me."

"It amazes me that you actually know that." Marco said as he crossed his arms.

"I told you Marco, I don't need a hero."

"A hero?" He asked. "Do I have to be a hero to want to look out for, and help a friend in need?"

"I'm not in need." I replied. "I could have taken Roy myself."

"Really?" He asked. "He had sterilized silver chainmail, sterilized silver weapons, even his assassins had sterilized silver. In fact, even if you could have beaten him, how much more silver would he have sterilized before you took him down?"

I looked away slightly. "I … I didn't want to put you in danger." I muttered.

"Danger?" He asked. "Are you practicing hypocrisy or did you really not know?"

"Know what?" I asked as I looked at him.

Marco laughed. "Really? Did you ever stop to consider how exactly I found out about this cult?"

I turned to Mathew, but he didn't have an answer either. "I … I didn't."

Marco sighed. "Oh, that's all right, I'll tell you. Picture, last Saturday; Marcus is showing Alfonzo, Ferguson and I a nice fireworks show while you are at that slumber party you neglected to tell me about. Now imagine that a bunch of people in cloaks walk up to us, and demand that we come with them." I covered my mouth in shock. "Now imagine, Marcus is out of fireworks, because he used them all for the show, and Alfonzo and Ferguson aren't any good at fighting. That just leaves me to fight all of the cultists, who were trained by Roy, WHILE protecting Marcus, Alfonzo, and Ferguson." He stopped for a moment to shake his head. "Oh, and let's not forget, you had two opportunities to warn us that there was a cult after you, between then and the last time you saw me, before the attack … that is, if you really did find out about them the Friday before last."

I looked down and slowly nodded.

"Great! And you didn't tell me even when I so much as asked ... twice!"

"Twice?" I asked. I thought about it for a moment before realizing. "You mean … when you confronted me about Jackie?"

"I didn't think I could be any more obvious." He replied, before turning away. "Not to mention you lied to me about why you missed my tournament, or does getting trapped in another dimension count as getting lost?"

"I lied about it." I replied sadly.

"Amazing." He said as he shook his head. "Roy was wrong, even if he did capture one of us, you would never have come to our rescue."

"Of course I would have!" I exclaimed. "Marco, I do care about you, about all of you, I just didn't know you were attacked by Roy." I froze. "Wait, why didn't you tell me you were attacked by Roy?"

"The same reason you didn't tell me." He replied. "I didn't want to get you involved."

I was about to cry, until Mathew placed a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe it's time to end this." He stated. "You want to take me away? Fine, my mission is done. Star can handle the cult from here, just tell me I get a few cracks at Roy in the cell."

Marco sighed. "All I know for sure is that you are one of the three cult leaders … Roy said you are manipulating Star, but I SO don't want to trust him. I really want to believe that Star did know what she was doing when she trusted you." He looked away. "But I have a hard time believing that no one in your department knew that Roy was after us."

A hand was placed on Marco's shoulder, by a hooded cultist. Marco looked behind, to see who it was. The figure lowered their hood, revealing himself to be Marcus. "Hi Star." Marcus added, causing me a little more concern. "Yes, I'm also here, Stella is somewhere in the audience. I am also upset, but that's not why I came up on stage." Marcus pointed at something behind me. "Marco, I might be mistaken … but … she … kinda looks like-"

"No." Marco interrupted as he walked around me. I turned around to see him walking over towards Rebeca. "YOU!" Marco shouted.

Rebeca took a few steps back. "Hi Marco." She replied.

"You said you were leaving the cult." Marco accused.

"Wait a second." I said, as I ran up to Marco. "How do you know Rebeca?"

"Rebeca?" Marco asked. "Well Rebeca here was one of the cultists who attacked us that night." He turned to Rebeca. "And we captured her, questioned her, showed her mercy, and she told us that she was leaving the cult. I should have known better."

"But I did!" She replied. "I left Roy's service and found Mathew, he's a lot nicer; and he doesn't want to hurt Star."

"Wait a second." I said as I moved past Marco. "Rebeca … You knew that I didn't want to get Marco involved in this … but you knew that he was all ready involved in this?"

"I'm sorry!" She pleaded. "I didn't want to worry you, I …"

"Rebeca." Mathew said as he walked up to us. "You … lied … about what she wanted to protect ... more than anything?"

"I didn't want to worry her!" She pleaded once more.

Mathew leered at her before taking a deep breath. "It's your call what to do about this, Star."

I shook my head. "I have so much to deal with right now." I turned to Rebeca. "I will talk with you later." I turned back to Marco. "Look … I should have told you … a very long time ago." I shook my head. "Whether I knew you were in danger, whether you knew or not, I should have told you."

"Why didn't you?" He asked. "And this time, tell me the truth."

I sighed and thought to myself. "I … I didn't want to …"

"You didn't want to tell me?" He asked.

"NO!" I retorted. "I didn't want to lose you!"

Marco looked at me, shocked, then closed his eyes. "Then that's it then, you thought I was weak."

"NO!" I exclaimed again. "You're just not expendable!"

"Seriously?" He asked. "Star, I know you don't need a hero, but I'd put my life on the line to protect you; and I don't want you to handle something this dangerous by yourself, even if I knew you could handle it." He stepped closer. "And you want to know why? It's because I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to you that I could have prevented."

Marcus jumped in between us and held his hands out. "OKAY! I'd like to point out to you two that you have an audience of about twenty five cultists, and one member of the Mewniin Royal Family, that has been here for the past few minutes!"

Marco and I looked at the door to see my father, standing there, with his hands behind his back, and an annoyed look on his face; with only Kevin standing between him and my people. "DAD?!" I shouted. "What is he doing here?" I asked Marco.

"What was I supposed to do with Roy?" He asked. "You all ready didn't trust me, what else did I have to lose?"

"He's going to take me away." I whispered to Marco.

"Prevented-in-any-way." Marco repeated. "You left me with very few options."

"I'm never going to trust you again." I whispered to his face.

"That makes two of us." He replied.

I turned away from Marco, and faced my father; who was trying to get past Kevin without hurting him. "Stand down, Kevin." I said as I got off the stage. "There's not a single person in this room who can take him on."

"But you asked me to protect the people, and that's what I'm going to do." He replied as he stared down my father.

"It's okay." I said as I walked up the center aisle. "He's only here for me."

"I'm here for more than just you, Star." He said as Kevin moved out of his way.

"He's right." Mathew said as he walked next to me. "He wants me as well." He walked up to my father, calmer than anyone else in history. "So you're here to take me away right?" He asked. "Promise me two things?"

"I have no reason to uphold any promises." My father looked over at me. "But … for Star's sake … I will hear you out at least."

"Leave them out of this." He said as he motioned to the rest of the cultists. "I'm the leader, they mean you no harm. Please, let them be."

"Please?" I added.

My father looked at the cultists. "I don't need them … I will let them be, but not as a favor to you, Mathew."

"I understand." He replied. "As for my second request … can you let me hit Roy a few times?"

"I beg your pardon?" My father asked.

"I want to pay him back, personally, for what he did to the silver; and for what he planned to do to Star."

My father looked into the distance. "I don't think that will be possible … personally, the only reason I even came here was because Marcus mentioned that Star was meeting with a guy with the same name as the one Roy gave me. I'm still not sure if I can trust Roy on the rest. I still don't want you anywhere near him, so I can't grant that request."

Mathew sighed. "I understand." He turned to the stage. "Rebeca, come here." He called. "You too Marco, you should hear this as well."

Marco hopped off the stage, as did Rebeca. "I just want you to know I don't take orders from you." Marco retorted.

"Do you want to stop the third cult leader?" Mathew asked. "You should know that if there is any chance for Star to return, that is a prerequisite."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Then talk."

He turned to Rebeca. "I need you to track down …" He paused and turned away. "My brother." My eyes went wide as he continued. "Track him down, stop his plan."

"Your brother?" I asked. "All this time-"

"I'm sorry, Star." He said as he turned to me. "I've kept that a secret for too long." He turned to Marco. "Marco … can you put aside your pride and work with Rebeca to take down my brother; like you did Roy?"

Marco looked at me, then back at Mathew. "Not because you asked."

Mathew smiled. "You will make a valued member of our community one day Marco."

I sneered and turned away.

"Star?" Rebeca asked. I turned to look at her and she seemed frightened. "I'm … I'm-"

"You don't have to say anything." I said as I opened my arms and pulled her into a hug. "I forgive you."

I felt Rebeca smile. "I'm not sorry."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and looked down to see a syringe with Rebeca's hand on it. I began to feel dizzy and lose my balance; causing me to fall backwards. I felt a few hands catch me as I fell. As I looked up, I saw Marco's terrified eyes as things began to go black and I began to lose consciousness.

* * *

**Well as it turns out, that new leaf I turned over just so happened to be poison ivy! Best part is, I won't be updating until Monday at the earliest! And there's no new episode on Monday! … now I feel bad so I will consider letting you all in on a few things and if I do then I will post them on tumbler.**

**R&amp;R**


	40. Chapter 40

**So … originally I was going to wait until Friday to post this because I wanted to torture you all for a week but … this week's been bad enough and it's only Monday, I'm not going to make it any worse. Also, I know some of you think I said I would post something on Tumbler but if you look closer, I said I would consider it and I considered it and I decided not to (P.S. my Tumblr is Axis2400). Also, when I saw the amount of reviews I almost cried, I love you all so much but it may just be because I killed Star … woops … um … TO THE REVIEWS!**

**Zues Killer Productions: Yet I still want Xcom 2.**

**The Era Thief: Indeed.**

**Bigmike33321: Axis2400.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: My what a vivid imagination you have, I hope that you relaxing day at the spa proves as comforting as you think it is.**

**MasterTigress4444: Well Monday is today but I did say Monday at the earliest and if … some things didn't happen then … let's not talk about it.**

**H. Mae: You didn't include adamantium and vibranium in your prison Mae; they'll find a way out. I think this chapter has a very big surprise that you are going to like, giving you would have to be me to see it and if you do end up seeing it then I will be very surprised. Don't worry about the Numbuh 3&amp;4 thing, I guess before thinking as well.**

**Recon82: Yeah, no, this story isn't close to being done.**

**Finnjr63: We all need a hero from time to time … but sometimes all we need is someone to give us a little help.**

**JollyPayton: So did Star and Mathew.**

**Striiker: He's not, he snuck in with Marco, remember, Marco is also, at this time, wearing a cultist robe.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yeah, that might be important later.**

**aliyaperez101: Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you.**

**Eeznii: Well, there's an easy way to tell if you've read one of my P&amp;F stories, was there a character named Erick in there who was an orphan? A record for reading fanfiction? Well … technically 50 shades of gray is a fanfic so … sadly I don't think you broke any records. And lastly thank you, Sabrina is an amazing beta and leaves the funniest coments in the story that just make my bay all the better.**

**PFTones3482: Well … what was the concoction that Lannister cooked up?**

**Snowdrop: You'll find out how she could very soon.**

**Your Luca: Actually Star said that and Marco said "That makes two of us"**

**Gb: This review is now one of my favorites, mainly because of the part where you say there hasn't been any romance yet which I will need to address but as for the second part I only have one response, have you ever seen Kimposible? They had the two main characters get together and unless the episode had a focus on their relationship then they only brought up the relationship once per episode.**

**FoxSpirit8679: Yeah, he has a backstory that I want to spoil so badly but I can't because no one has seen the connection yet.**

**Sarafae hall: I said it MAY come out on Monday, not that it would but I did decide to post it today so that's a moot point.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I stood there holding a trembling Star in my arms as I began to fear the worst. "DAMN IT MATHEW!" I shouted. "TWO ASSASINS IN ONE DAY!?"

"This shouldn't have happened." Mathew said as he looked at Star. He turned back to Rebeca, who had been restrained by other cultists. "Why?!" He walked up to her and grabbed her collar. "Why do this? I trusted you, I was willing to give you a second chance, why poison Star."

"Because he wills it." She replied.

I ignored them and held Star close as she began trembling more violently. "Don't die on me Star, please, just stay with us."

"She won't die." Rebeca whispered. "He doesn't want that."

"Marco." Star's father began as he knelt on the other side of Star. "Let me look at her." I loosened my grip on her, slightly, so that the King could get a look. "What was in that concoction?" He asked as he looked towards Rebeca.

"Half of his work." She replied. "Once he has her, he will give her the other half then she will be just like the rest of us."

"The rest of us?" The King asked as he got up. He walked over to Rebeca and looked into her eyes. "By God, how did he crack it?" He asked. He turned to Mathew. "His work, she must mean your brother's work."

"I had nothing to do with this." Mathew replied.

"Do you know what was in it!?" The King demanded.

Mathew looked to the side. "Something to cause a major boost in hormones to cause improved abilities; but the effects would kill a normal human."

I looked up in realization. "What about a Mewnian?"

Everyone was silent until a buzzing sound emanated from Star. "Star's wings." I said as I looked at her. "It must be getting worse."

"Wings?!" The King asked, almost in shock.

"Yeah, from when she went through-"

"Put her down slowly Marco." The King interrupted.

"I'M NOT LETTING GO OF HER!" I snapped.

"You're making it worse." He replied.

I heard a moan come from Star, and held her close as I closed my eyes. "It's okay Star, you're going to be fine."

"Marco." She said softly.

"It's me Star, I'm right here and I'm never letting you go." I said as I held her tighter as I began to cry.

"Marco … is … a … boy." My eyes opened at hearing the familiar phrase to confirm my fears; Star had purple hearts appearing on all visible part of her body. Before I could react, Star threw her arms around the back of my neck and slammed her lips against mine; something passed from her lips to me, and then proceeded to spread throughout my entire body, causing my muscles to stop responding to my brain. At that same moment the hearts started appearing so fast that her cocoon began to encase the both of us, before it could encase me though, someone pulled me out of it; as I saw Star reaching for me. When I landed, I saw that the cocoon had fully formed and I was able to see that Mathew had been the one who saved me.

"What's happening?" Mathew asked.

"She's going through Mewberty … again." The King answered.

I tried to talk, but my body was still not responding, and all I could do was breathe sporadically.

"Some humans are just so … monstrous." The King stated.

"Monstrous?" Mathew asked.

"Rebeca's eyes, look at them." He replied.

Mathew walked over to Rebeca, who was standing behind me. "Why are they so red?" He asked.

"There is a formula that I thought I had seen the last of ... a very long time ago." The king said as he turned to Mathew. "Once injected into the brain, it can rewrite it. I thought that all forms of it had been destroyed. He must be planning to turn Star into his servant."

"But Star's here." Mathew said, as Star's cocoon began cracking. I tried to scream but I still couldn't do anything. "And how is doing this to her supposed to help with that?"

Just then, Star's cocoon broke open and Star flew out of it. As her hair and arms emerged, her hair didn't tie itself up like it did last time. She looked at me, then tilted her head slightly. Before she did anything though, Marcus and Stella stepped in front of me. "Marco, stop daydreaming!" Stella shouted. I tried to move, but I still couldn't do anything. "Marco?" Stella asked, as she looked at me. She tapped me on the side, and I fell to my side, like a corpse. "Marco!"

"Mar-co" Star added. She began flying towards me and Marcus pulled out a roman candle, as well as his lighter; before he could light it however, King Butterfly pushed him to the ground causing him to drop his roman candle and lighter. The King stood between us and Star and soon, Star backed off and flew out a hole in the roof.

"Damn it." The king said as he watched Star fly off.

"Guys!" Marcus shouted as he looked at me. "Marco's still not moving."

"He was paralyzed by Star." The king explained as he walked over to me. He sat me up against one of the chairs. "He'll be like this for a few hours … nothing we can do to get him moving in the meantime." He turned to look at the hole Star flew out through. "If I'm correct, she's already gone through Mewberty once, in cases when it happens a second time, even when induced, it could go on for a few hours or a few days."

"Then we have to go after her!" Mathew exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly." The king replied as he pulled out a pair of dimensional scissors and opened a portal to Mewni.

"Wait, where are you going?" Mathew asked.

"I'm getting my army." He began. "And I'm going to tear this town apart until I find Star."

"WHAT!" Mathew asked. "My brother will find her first, and he will kill her if he can't keep her!"

The king turned to him and leered. "And what can you do?" He asked. "You can't even trust your own people."

"So you have an alternative?" Mathew asked. "At least this way you stand a chance of finding her first."

He leered at him. "You have six hours, if she's not back on Mewni by then, I will come back with an army."

"Should be just enough." Mathew replied.

"It'd better." He said before walking through the portal.

When the portal closed, Mathew turned to face his cultists. "Kevin, Ryan!" He shouted. "Front and center!" Both cultists ran up to him and stood at attention. "Both of you are responsible for finding out who has been affected by this formula that turned Rebeca into a traitor. No one leaves this building without getting checked out."

"That would take too long!" Stella shouted. "Not to mention, you don't have a means to find Star."

"Um …" Marcus began nervously. "I … might have a solution for that." He lifted his cloak slightly to reveal Bagel tearing at his pant leg.

"Has he been there this whole time?" Mathew asked.

"I'm getting used to it." Marcus said as he pulled Bagel off his pant leg. "Bagel, can you find Star?" Bagel growled at him and tried to zap Marcus's face. "Star Butterfly, remember?" Marcus asked again. Bagel leered at Marcus then looked away before growling slightly. Marcus set Bagel down and he began sniffing the floor. After a moment, he barked then began running off and Marcus followed.

"Get started." Mathew said as he followed behind.

"I'm staying here." Stella said as she walked over to Kevin and Ryan. "All right, tie up Rebeca then form three lines, we'll find out who's who, and then we're going to find Star."

"Who died and made you leader?" Someone asked.

"No one." She replied. "Everyone else competent enough to lead just got taken out of commission or isn't here, so tie her up already!"

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus and Mathew were running alongside each other following Bagel, who seemed to know where he was going. "So what do you think your brother has planned for Star?" Marcus asked.

"Use that formula to take control of Star while she's in her Mewberty state." Mathew replied. "I can't believe he could be so …"

"Worse than Roy?" Marcus asked.

"Sadly." Mathew replied as they followed Bagel down an ally, where he stopped at a wall. "She must have flown over … finding her is going to be a pain."

"Tell me about it." Marcus replied. "Only one who knows what she's like in this state is Marco and he can't even talk." Marcus looked down at Bagel. "Bagel, we need another trail." Bagel leered at Marcus before sniffing the ground again.

"So Star and Marco are a thing then?" Mathew asked as Bagel sniffed the ground.

Marcus looked at Mathew like one would look at an insane person. "You're joking right? Did you not see the confrontation they had right before your little traitor decided to turn Star into … that?"

"First off." Mathew began. "Star came to us of her own free will, what happened couldn't have been prevented."

"Keep telling yourself that." Marcus said as Bagel found a new trail, and began following him.

"Secondly." Mathew began, as he followed behind. "Did you not see how much he cared about her when she got stabbed? Not to mention that she kissed him before flying off."

"She might love him, but he's so indecisive he'll never admit any feelings he has for her." Marcus shook his head. "I've lost to worse men than him though."

"Who was the first you lost too?" Mathew asked.

"An annoying … no … 'the' annoying troublemaker."

"Was he really that bad?" Mathew asked.

"No." Marcus began. "That was just his name." Marcus looked away as Bagel picked up the trail. "He couldn't even speak and she still chose him."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

About two hours had passed since the king went off, the cultists had all been checked; and out of the twenty four, five of them had been found to be sleeper agents and tied up. All the others had gone out in search of Star; leaving Stella and I alone. "You could have joined them." I told Stella as I sat in the chair I was sitting in. The paralysis Star had infected me with was beginning to wear off, but I was only able to move my muscles slightly and talk. "You're not doing much good here."

"She may come back." Stella said as she sat next to me. "She is after you, after all."

"You mean she wants revenge on me after causing her to get taken away?" I asked as I felt a sense of guilt overtake me.

"No." Stella answered. "She kissed you, remember?"

"And I'm not surprised." I replied. "She came onto me the last time she went through this, as well as every boy in the school. I'm nothing special, just the guy who set it off by holding her." I turned by my head away, slightly. "I should have let her go and let the king handle it … then she would at least be safe."

I felt a sharp sting as Stella got up and slapped me across the face. "No, don't you DARE blame yourself for this; all you did was care about Star. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"If I had only opened my eyes, then at the very least I wouldn't be paralyzed; and I could be out there looking as well."

Stella walked over to aisle and shook her head. "You can't worry about that, they'll find her soon enough." She knelt down and picked something up off the floor. "Is this … Marcus's lighter?"

"He must have dropped it when King Butterfly pushed him." I replied. "Good thing he has a spare."

Stella picked up Marcus's Roman candle, that was right next to it, and handed them to me. "You can't fight, so you might as well hold onto these."

I lifted my arm, as best I could, and shoved the lighter in my pocket as well as the Roman candle. "Not like it's going to do any good." I said as I looked away. "Helios is going to destroy the town looking for Star, and we only have four hours to find her."

"Who's Helios?" I heard a somewhat familiar voice ask from the entrance of the theater. I tried to look to see who it was but I couldn't get a good look.

"Who are you?" Stella asked.

"You don't remember me?" He asked. "Seriously? I only kicked Marco's ass in the tournament last week."

"Lannister?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Marco!" He shouted as he walked up to me. "So you do remember your old pal, Lannister Lexington."

"What are you doing here, Lannister?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied. "I was just minding my own business when I saw a bunch of people, in white cloaks, running out of here after some strange purple insect lady."

"That was Star." I replied. "She was transformed by one of the cult leaders, and now he's trying to find her so he can mind control her."

"Star Butterfly?!" He exclaimed. "Wait, so … that was her?"

"Yes Lannister, she was transformed by a cult leader, and now he seeks to capture her; before we can find her."

"Then why aren't you looking for her?!" He asked as he walked over to me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well when she's like that, her kiss has the ability to paralyze humans for hours … actually that might also happen when she's normal; I don't really know, that was the first time I've seen her kiss someone."

"You must feel so special." Stella said as she crossed her arms.

"Are we really getting into this now?" I asked. "I told you she only did that because of hormones."

"That's every boys excuse." She replied.

"Why are we arguing about this now?" I asked.

"Can you two love birds do this later?" Lannister asked. "Can't we get them to help or something?" He asked, as he motioned to the cultists who were tied up; who had surprisingly stop struggling and were now just staring in our direction.

"Those would be sleeper agents." I answered. "They will take us down as soon as we let them go."

"And I'm not leaving an immobilized Marco with these insane people, even if they are restrained." Stella added.

"I can handle them." I replied.

"You can't even stand!" She retorted. "How do you expect to fight, let alone find your girlfriend."

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" I spat.

"Stop it!" Lannister shot. "Look, what direction did she run off? I'll help."

"She flew off." I answered. "And aside from Bagel, I'm the only one who has a chance at finding her and I'm …" I paused. "No." I said slowly.

"No, what?" Lannister asked, with the slight hint at a smile.

"I'm not giving up here." I slammed my hands on the hand rests and began to push myself to me my feet." "I … WON'T … LET THIS … STOP-"

"Stop it Marco." Stella said as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "You'll never be able to stand on your own!"

"Is that so?" Lannister asked as he walked over to me. He garbed my arm and hoisted me to my feet, then threw his arm around my shoulder, to support me. "You lead, I'll walk." He looked to Stella. "You stay here and keep an eye on them." He motioned to the cultists. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

"This is a bad idea." Stella replied.

"You have a better one?" I asked.

She looked at Lannister, then back to me. "He said he was a great fan of Star's, how do we know he's not working for Mathew's brother?"

"For what it's worth, I swear that I'm not working for the brother of this Mathew guy." He replied. "By the way, what's the brother's name?"

"He never actually said what his name was." I answered. "And we don't have a choice. Let's go, Lannister."

"All right then, let's get this show on the road." Lannister said as we turned around. We walked outside and I looked around. "So, any ideas?" Lannister asked.

"That way." I said as I pointed to some hearts I saw resting on the side of a building. "Follow the hearts."

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus, Mathew, and Bagel were hot on Star's trail, as they ran through the streets and Bagel got more jumpy. "We must be close." Mathew stated. They turned a corner, leading to an empty court yard that Bagel blindly ran into. Mathew and Marcus followed, but as soon as Bagel reached the center he began to run in circles.

"Well this isn't right." Marcus said as he looked around.

"Marcus?" Mathew began. "Look around."

Marcus looked around to see that there were piles of purple hearts all around the court yard. "Think she was here?" Marcus asked.

"That is one possibility, but I think I may have a more likely one." Mathew replied, before pointing to the entrance they came through. Standing there, were two cultists who had slammed a gate closed, trapping Marcus and Mathew with them.

"A trap?" Marcus asked.

"Nah." Mathew said as he threw off his cloak revealing handmade leather armor, and two wooden swords mounted on his back right next to each other. "More like a diversion."

Marcus reached into his hoodie and pulled out one of his lighters then paused as he reached for the second one. "I do believe I'm missing my second lighter."

"Too bad." Mathew said as more cultists came out of hiding. "Think you'll be able to fight with just one?"

"Easily." Marcus replied as he pulled out some rockets. "You know it's strange, I never imagined I would be fighting alongside one of the cult leaders."

Mathew laughed and drew his swords. "Just try and be an asset."

* * *

**Okay, so here's what I've been meaning to tell you all since last Friday … I'm not going to be updating next week … and my next story is most likely not going to be SVTFOE but don't worry, the one after will because I can only write one story for this show and it's been stewing in my head for some time. Not going to say what it is so sorry about that.**

**R&amp;R**


	41. Chapter 41

**Guys, I'm having another one of my moments when I feel like I've lost all motivation for everything. It's not something I haven't experienced before but it's annoying to say the very least. Now let's get to the reviews.**

**The Era Thief: No one knows but me … and my beta but that's a given.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: I'm not leaving yet bro, just hold your horses.**

**H. Mae: I will neither confirm nor deny that. Things will get clearer soon enough … oh wait, the explanation is next chapter. I want to see what's happening in that room, you remembered to put cameras in there, right?**

**MegaRocker101: Yeah, I didn't give much hint that that was going to happen but I'm glad it surprised people.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: There are so many parties now that I don't even know how many there are.**

**MasterTigress4444: No, no, no, I'm leaving next week.**

**arael205: It fills me with joy that you like my story so much.**

**Finnjr63: I do have plans on ending it … just not sure how.**

**PureWishes02: Well, she does still love Marco so that may or may not have something to do with it.**

**Gb: I don't know.**

**Snowdrop: They don't know that Mathew's brother is named Lannister … how though, I do not know.**

**UPDATE: I'm sorry, I forgot to moderate a lot of guest reviews.**

**JW TS: I will as much as possible.**

**cool squad: It was induced by what Lannister had Rebeca inject into Star.**

**troll face: Maybe … I hope not … but it might.**

**Luca: Okay, what exactly are you talking about when you said that I took her suggestion?**

**Guest: Yes, I am still writing this story.**

**Total Fan: Once again, no comment, but thank you for the review.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(No one's POV)

Mathew smiled as a pair of cultists came charging at him. "Too easy." He said before charging at them. When he was within spitting distance of them, he dodged to the right, slashing the one on the right with both his swords; before looking to the remaining cultist and slashing at him with a double upward slash. He looked to another, coming at him with a led pipe, and in one smooth motion, dodged out of the way and slashed at his wrist and knee; causing him to fall over.

Meanwhile, Marcus had fired off several rockets, only to miss his targets. "Damn lack of accuracy!" He cursed, as cultists began to surround him. He pulled out a Roman candle and lit it, and just as a cultist was about to tackle him, it went off sending out mini fireballs everywhere. He swung it three hundred and sixty degrees, causing the cultists to back up. Meanwhile, he pulled out two more Roman candles and lit them. While the first one ran out, the two he had lit went off, and Marcus pointed them towards the cultists; forcing them to form a larger perimeter. It wasn't long before both Roman candles ran out, forcing him to reach into his hoodie. The cultists waited, but when nothing else happened, they charged in. Marcus pulled out a wheel, attached to his arm like a shield, that was already lit and pointed it skyward causing fire to rain all around him, touching all the cultists and causing them to catch fire. "That's what you get for being flammable!" Marcus cheered.

"Don't kill them!" Mathew shouted as he took down three more.

"Don't worry." Marcus retorted. "Look they're already out." He said as he motioned to the cultists, who had ditched their cloaks; and were no longer on fire. A few of them began charging him again, and he merely raised his shield of fire, forcing them to back off. "That's right, play with fire and you could get badly burned." Marcus pointed a rocket at them through the shield, igniting instantly, and hit one of the nearby cultists; causing him to fall to the ground.

"I said go easy, they're just misinformed." Mathew hollered before landing a blow that cracked nearly every rib in his target's chest.

Marcus turned to Mathew, surprised. "Seriously? Who's side are you on?" As Marcus spoke, a cultist came charging at him, from behind, and by the time Marcus noticed, he didn't have time to grab any fireworks. Just as the cultist was about to tackle him, a laser nailed the cultist's knee, causing him to fall to the ground. Marcus looked to the ground to see Bagel growling at the fallen cultist. "Bagel?" Marcus asked. Bagel looked at Marcus, then back at the cultist. "Thanks for having my back, I guess." Marcus took off his shield, that had gone out, and pulled out another Roman candle.

Both Marcus and Mathew fought their way towards each other, until they were standing back to back. "Watch your aim." Mathew said as they looked at the remaining cultists.

"Don't get in my way." Marcus retorted.

Marcus pulled out a display tube, and lit it; while Mathew charged the group surrounding them. Mathew slid under the punch of a cultist, while slashing at his knee cap and lower stomach. Marcus's display tube went off, hitting a few cultists in front of him. Mathew slashed at another cultist, before he could attack. Marcus turned around to hit a cultist who was charging, and just as the shot from the display tube went off, Mathew slid under the fireball; allowing it to hit his target, before slashing at another. "You've got some moves, Mathew." Marcus complimented.

"Not such a horrible shot, yourself." Mathew replied. Marcus continued to mow down cultists, while Mathew took down the stragglers.

When all the cultists were either unconscious or running, Marcus smiled and put out his lighter. "You were right, only a distraction."

Just then, a loud roar was heard from a nearby rooftop. Both Mathew and Marcus looked up to see a giant grayish monster jump to the ground causing a mini earthquake. "Great." Mathew said as he readied his swords. "They have a cave troll."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

Lannister and I made our way around town, following the hearts that had fallen from Star. We had come to a number of dead ends and ended up going in circles more times than I actually know, but we couldn't stop looking. "I think we may be going in another circle." Lannister said as we came to another intersection. "I recognize that Chinese restaurant, and I hate Chinese."

"Yeah, that's where I convinced Star that fortune cookies were magical." I answered. "We've definitely passed it a few times."

"Wait a second." Lannister began, as he looked at me. "You convinced her that fortune cookies were magical?"

"She used to be naïve about a few things, in retrospect it was a very bad idea." I paused as I looked up to look for another path.

"This place is way too crowded." Lannister began walking us over to a nearby bus bench and sat us down. "Not to mention, you're not as light as you look."

"Thanks for the update." I replied. I began thinking about where Star could be, the last time she suffered Mewberty, she was locking up boys left and right; but so far there wasn't any sign of panic, in fact, people looked like they were having a rather pleasant day. "There should be more chaos." I said as I looked around. "People should be hiding or be getting snatched up left and right … but … there's nothing." I looked up at the building we were next to. "Maybe … she's hiding."

"Why would she do that?" Lannister asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "I just have a feeling." I slowly got myself to my feet and walked a short distance away. I had almost gotten enough feeling back to walk normally; but for now I was limited to short distances. When I came in view, I noticed that the top windows of the building were completely covered with something that I couldn't make out from this distance. "Hey, Lannister." I began. "What do you see up there?"

He walked over and looked up. "Looks blocked … it could be a curtain."

"It could be Star's hearts."

"It's a long shot, Marco and we only have three hours left, if I counted right."

"It's worth a shot." I walked over to the door of the old apartment building and nearly fell to the ground.

"Watch yourself." Lannister said as he caught me. "It's a long way to the penthouse and you don't want to hurt yourself before we get there."

"You should go without me, you'll get there faster." I said, as I looked down.

"And do what when I get there?" He asked. "She doesn't even know me; if anything, she's going to attack me. You need to be the one to talk her down."

"Well she's likely to attack me as well." I replied. "She's really upset with me right now for bringing her father in on this."

"She still doesn't know me like she knows you, so you'll have to figure out a way to talk to her." We entered the building and began making our way to the stairs.

As we reached the second floor, we found hearts falling from cracks in the ceiling and the stairs leading up. "Yeah, this is definitely the place."

We continued heading up the stairs, and soon we were on the third floor; where there were even more hearts than before. "So tell me more about this cult." Lannister said as we walked.

"They're obsessed with Star, and will go to extreme lengths to get her. Most of them are insane but … Star seems to trust Mathew for some reason."

"Yet you don't." Lannister stated. "And with good reason too, if he never actually told you his brother's name, or brought it up, then I think they might be in cahoots."

"That's a possibility." I stopped, causing Lannister to give me a funny look. "But I never actually asked."

"You never asked?" He asked.

"Never thought to, I mean we were only there for a few minutes before things went south."

"And why didn't you talk to Star about the cult earlier?" He asked. "I mean if you had brought it to her attention and-"

"She would have told me to leave it alone." I replied.

"Oh, so you would have just given up after that?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I wouldn't have just given up … I would have helped her anyway and … Oh no." I sighed. "I … am … an … idiot."

"How so?" Lannister asked.

"I know what to say." I answered.

"That … doesn't help your case … at all."

"You'll see." I said as we began walking up the stairs to the third floor. This floor was covered in hearts, so much in fact that the stairs to the next floor were blocked.

"Great." Lannister said as he sat me down. "Hold on, I'll dig this out."

"I'll just sit right here then." I said, as I stayed where I was. As I waited for Lannister, I began pondering the gravity of my mistake in bringing Star's father into this. A moment later, I heard my phone begin to ring with my typical Space Unicorn ring tone.

"What the heck is that?" Lannister asked.

"I'm going to change it." I said as I pulled it out. "I swear, it's no longer funny." I looked at the caller ID ,and saw that it was Marcus calling. "Hi Marcus." I answered. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Well, we were led into an ambush, fought some cultists, and took down a cave troll." He replied. "But sadly, no Star."

"I guess that's to be expected." I replied. "Don't worry; I think we've found her."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence Marco, she's still volatile and … how well can you move?"

I looked over to Lannister, who was still working on the staircase. "Not much, I can walk; but fighting's out of the question."

"Wait." I heard Mathew's voice say in the background. "He found Star? Where is she."

"I don't know yet, Mathew." Marcus replied. "I was about to ask that before you-" Marcus paused. "I'm sorry Marco, but did you say 'we'?"

"Yeah, Lannister helped me get here, and now he's digging out a tunnel so I can try talking to Star."

"Who's Lannister?" Marcus asked.

I was about to answer, but I heard garbled conversation in the background. "Marco." Marcus began.

"Yeah." I replied.

"What's the name of the guy who's with you?"

I looked up at Lannister, to see him still working on the wall. "Lannister, he wanted to help me rescue Star."

"Lannister … is with you, right now … and you two are how close to Star?"

Before I could answer, I heard something that sounded like someone snatching the phone from the other line. "Please tell me I didn't just hear Marcus say that Lannister was near Star." Mathew asked.

I had a sudden bad feeling that I had made another horrible mistake. "Why?" I asked quietly.

Mathew was quiet for a moment. "Well … Lannister Lexington … is my older brother."

"I think I've got it!" Lannister said from upstairs.

I looked up, then back at my phone. "We're at the abandoned apartment building near the Chinese place, top floor." I hung up and made my way to my feet.

"Who was on the phone?" Lannister asked as he came downstairs.

"Marcus." I replied. "Apparently he and … a friend were led into an ambush."

"Really?" Lannister asked. "What friend?"

"Not important." I replied. "So … Star is just upstairs?"

"Yeah, we should probably get going, while we still have plenty of time left." He replied.

"About that." I began. "I was thinking … maybe you should wait outside, for when Marcus gets here."

"Nah, I should be nearby, in case you need assistance." He replied.

I forced out a laugh. "If I end up needing help, there's nothing you'll be able to do. You should make sure that backup gets here as soon as possible."

"Well … if help really isn't going to help, then it's not going to matter what time they get here, now is it?" He replied. "And I don't want to miss this."

I shook my head a little. "Please, just move aside and let me handle this, alone."

"Not going to happen." He replied.

I pushed away from the wall and reached into my pocket. "Step aside Lannister."

He shook his head, with a smile. "Not going to happen, Marco."

* * *

**Alright, so I won't be updating next week sadly, but the week after that … I have a few chapters as buffer so no worries there. Now to post this and work on another chapter. Also I'm putting a poll on my page so go there and check it out because it's important.**

**R&amp;R**


	42. Chapter 42

**Quick note, I wrote this chapter before Freezeday/Royal pain which was when I thought that King Butterfly's name was Helios, now I went through the chapter and replaced it at every point my search engine could find but if I missed something then please cut me some slack. Also, I must … apologize … I was wrong about the week I'd be gone, it's going to be the week after this upcoming one so I still have an entire week to torment you all with my plot twists and cliffhangers. Also, I've made a few changes to this chapter AFTER getting it back from my beta but since there were only a few I didn't see the need to send it to her, I say this because there may be some additional spelling and grammatical errors in this chapter and I want you to know that those errors are because of me, not my beta. Now to answer the reviews.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Says who? I'm going to be able to update for another week but Marco isn't in the best of situation right now.**

**H. Mae: Well it's hard for you to trust Mathew because you hate him so much right now and are chanting for Marco to beat the ever living crud out of him (I can't wait to tell you how I know that … that sounded creepy … sorry). I'm glad you're starting to like Marco again. Actually … their 15 in this story … I never actually pointed that out but yeah, this takes place around a year after where the show currently is.**

**Recon82: Because it's fun to leave people in suspense.**

**Finnjr63: He'll get there soon enough.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I want to say that Phineas and Ferb did it first but they didn't so I can't say that.**

**snowdrop: I danced that same dance when I was right about freeze day NOT having any Starco in it and it being a giant kick to the unmentionable areas to all Starco fans … being right is always a good thing my friend.**

**JW TS: Actually I never actually explained this … but Monster Arm can't help Marco right now … hold on, I need to make a few changes to this chapter thus postponing it by a day.**

**Gb: It was but it ended meaning that I had to find a new favorite show to be my favorite, it's not like I still don't like it, it's just … I a man who likes the journey more than the destination, which is why I write stories that are so unbelievably long.**

**MT4: This makes me happy.**

**Secret Sauze: I will.**

**Sonicdash: Um … when … did I do that again? I mean I know I've done that before but could you refresh my memory?**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I stood there as Lannister began to laugh. "I didn't want it to go down like this, Marco."

"I don't know what's more unbelievable." I began. "The fact that you thought this would work, or the fact that it almost did."

"Almost?" He asked. "As far as I can see, it hasn't stopped working." He looked up at the ceiling. "Star is right above us, all you have to do is talk to her."

"And let you take her?" I snapped. "Not a chance."

"MARCO!" Monster Arm shouted. "You can't fight him in your condition, Star's magic is interfering with my power, I won't be able to lend it to you while her magic is flowing through a majority of your body."

I sneered as Lannister continued. "Marco, Marco, Marco." He began. "Did you really think I believed I would surprise you? I was extremely surprised when I found out that you didn't know I was the third cult leader. Kinda hurt as well. I mean little Mathew didn't think to mention his older brother. Little Mathew Patrick Lexington doesn't talk about his older brother anymore, how sad."

"Shut up with your self-pity!" I spat. "If I were related to you, I wouldn't want to mention you either."

"But it's just so amazing! If you and Star had stopped ONCE to compare notes, then you would have realized that I was the third cult leader and little Mathew was my younger brother!"

"Neither now, Lannister." I spat. "Blood might be thicker than water, but right and wrong are thicker than blood. I dare say I still trust Mathew now, more than ever, although that's still not much."

"A mistake you may live to regret, Marco. Oh wait, you won't. Thanks to you, I know to take Star as far away as possible; and let her father wipe this town off the face of the Earth." Lannister began laughing. "But I still need you to talk Star down."

"And why would I do that?" I asked.

He smiled and closed his eyes. "Poor Stella … all alone with ten of my sleeper agents. Tied up of course, but … I have friends who want a rematch with her."

I looked at him, surprised. "Rematch? You mean-"

"Roy's old body guards? They ran to me as soon as the boat house burnt down. They surrendered themselves to me ... and I gave them some new wiring."

"YOU MONSTER!" I snapped.

"As soon as they get there, four of them will distract her, while the other unties the ten captives, how do you like those odds?"

"Not as good as I'd hope, but she still has a chance." I replied.

"I can call them off, if you talk Star down." He offered. "So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

I looked at the opening, then back to Lannister. "No." I spat. "Stella can handle herself; and if I do that, then she'll be killed by King Butterfly's army."

He shook his head in disappointment. "Marco, I don't want to damage her, but I will if I must. This is your chance to keep her in as pristine condition as possible."

"Over my dead body." I spat. "I'll take you down right here, right now!"

He leered and pointed at my head, and a small ball of fire appeared at the edge of his finger. "And what can you do, lover boy? You're still weakened by her kiss, I am in no such condition and can end you with a word."

"Then do it!" I shouted. "I won't be a pawn."

He lowered his finger and shook his head. "Marco, I can't tell you why, but I can't kill you just yet." He looked me in the eye. "Don't you want to see her once more before you die in front of her? Give her one final happy memory ... before she sees you die before her?"

I grasped Marcus's Roman candle and lighter and leered at Lannister. "Go do it yourself, I will die before I betray her."

"I will grant your wish, in time." He said as he turned around. "Don't bother me, I will be busy tearing off a few of her arms."

Lannister started walking, and I pulled out the Roman candle and lit it. When the candle was about to go off, I ran up next to him and braced myself against the wall. He turned to look at me just as the candle went off; causing him to recoil and back up against the railing of the staircase. Then, with all my strength, I shoved myself off from the wall and pushed him over; causing him to land on his face and slide the rest of the way down the stairs. I dropped the Roman candle over the side in an attempt to slow him down and rushed over to the opening as fast as I could. I was slow, but I managed to get there before the Roman candle was burnt out. I rushed through the opening, but I was caught off guard when I saw the giant penthouse covered with Star's purple heart goo. You couldn't even make out what the penthouse used to look like, now it almost looked like a nest of some sort. As I made my way into the room, I heard a buzzing and before I knew it, Star flew out of what I believed to be the kitchen and looked around until she spotted me. I tried to run, but my legs gave out and I ended up falling as she came charging at me; but just as she was upon me, she flew past me. I looked over to see that she was flying over to the opening I had gone through and was sealing it up.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Now Lannister won't be able to get here at least."

Star turned to look at me, and just hovered there for a moment. "Mar-co?" She asked.

I began to panic again as she slowly made her way over to me. I began crawling backwards, but she was over me in a matter of seconds. When she looked down she landed, and I was forced to stop crawling. "Hey Star … I've come to find you."

She stood there for a moment, then leaned down and grabbed me by the chin and lifted me up slowly. "Star?" I asked as she raised me off the ground. "Please Star, don't." I pleaded.

She brought her lips closer and closer to mine; I could feel my heart rate begin to spike. "STOP IT!" I snapped, causing her to pause before backing up a little. She looked into my eyes with her giant hearts, and I took a moment to let my heart start working again before continuing. "Did you know that Lannister was the third cult leader?"

She looked away and gently put me down.

"So you did." I stated. "You know, if you had ever told me about … if you had ever mentioned his name ... instead of saying 'Mathew's brother' or 'the third cult leader' then I wouldn't have accidentally led him all the way here?"

She landed and turned away.

I looked at how sad she was and let out a sigh. "But … that's not your fault … that was simply an oversight."

She slowly turned her head to look at me.

"In fact … I've messed up a lot of things lately." I looked down and shut my eyes. "I didn't tell you about Roy's attack because … I knew you would tell me not to peruse this for some reason or another, but," I opened my eyes to look at her. "I would have tried to stop him even if you did try and stop me."

She took a step towards me.

"And then I would have brought him to you, instead of your father." I looked up. "And then your father wouldn't be getting ready to tear this town apart to find you."

Her expression turned to one of concern.

"I wanted to keep you safe … I wanted to keep you with me … and I wanted to keep you happy." I looked away slightly. "I should have known that you didn't need protecting. I should have known that telling your dad would grantee you getting taken away … and I should have known that I would never bring you happiness ever again."

She began to look sad as she took another few steps towards me, and reached out as if to place a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry … I should have been a better friend."

Just as I finished my sentence, she threw her arms around my neck, back, and waist, and smacked her lips against mine; causing my body to instantly go numb. This time however, I noticed a passion in her kiss that made me feel at ease. Her soft lips were pleasing as they were mashed against mine and even the magic that she was using to cause my paralysis began to give me a sense of bliss. Her grip on me began to ease as her lips played with mine, and I could feel the warmth of her body as I felt her heart begin to race alongside mine. When she finally began to slowly pull away, our lips remained together, almost like they weren't ready to be separated yet until they slowly split apart with a soft smack. By this time, not only had my body gone numb but my mind had also stopped processing completed thoughts and all that I could think of was the girl in front of me and how I wanted to feel her tender lips against mine once more. She looked at me with a smile, then lifted me into the air and flew me into one of the other rooms. Like the rest of the house, it was pretty unrecognizable, but after seeing the window and another room off to the side that almost looked like a bathroom, I could only assume that this used to be a bedroom. Another thing that was off about this room was that there were a few mounds in the floor made out of Star's webbing with indents in them like they were made so that something could lay down in them. What was stranger, was that there was one big one in the center of the room and a bunch of smaller ones around it. Star flew me over to the far wall and webbed me into it, before looking me in the eyes with a smile as she ran her fingers across my collar. She flew over to the center mound and began making minor adjustments to it with her webs, after she was done she jumped in it a few times, before returning to me. She began to run her fingers over my chest as my hear began to race again. She slowly moved her head up until her lips were right next to mine then slowly pressed her lips against mine.

As she made out with my motionless body, I heard what almost sounded like a silencer. Star slowly separated from me, with a frown on her face, as she slowly turned around to look at the door; revealing a dart in her back. I slowly began to get my ability to think back as the sound went off two more times and Star flinched each time, until she fell to the ground, allowing me to see Lannister standing in the doorway holding a tranquilizer gun. "I'm not sure I want to know what she was going to do to you." He said as he walked over. "I bet that you were enjoying it though."

_'I didn't … dislike it.'_ I though.

He picked up Star and threw her over his shoulder. "Sorry I can't carry two, looks like I'll have to adjust my plan a bit, and wipe Star's mind without killing you in front of her."

_NO!_ I thought. _I'm not going to … be able to say this because Star made out with me … I wonder if I'll ever be able to move again._

Lannister walked over to the window and raised a hand to it, he created a massive explosion of fire which blew out the entire wall where the window once stood. "Well, I gota fly." Fire began to appear beneath Lannister's feet causing him to lift off the ground slightly. "If you manage to get feeling back, then I'll be waiting for our rematch, same place, same ending." And with that, he flew out the window.

I was left there, all alone, with the cool breeze blowing in through the opening as I contemplated my life choices. _Damn it Marco, how useless can you be?_ I thought to myself. _She's your best friend but no, you couldn't have trusted her. She only tried her best to keep you safe, and was only completely torn up when she found out that you weren't._ I wanted to sigh, but my body was still not responding. _You're no hero, you're just a kid who messes everything up, and you're defiantly no friend of hers. It's because of you, no matter what happens, you'll never see her again._

Just then I heard something that sounded like someone walking into the penthouse. "This has to be where she is." I heard Marcus say.

"It's too quiet." I heard Mathew's voice reply. "I don't think she's here anymore."

"Yeah well … we still need to look around and …" Marcus paused. "Do you hear a breeze?" Marcus began walking in my direction, and I was glad when I saw him and Bagel standing in the doorway. "Marco!" He exclaimed as he saw me webbed to the wall. They made their way over and Marcus began pulling at the webs. "Damn it Marco, what happened?"

"Don't waste your breath." Mathew said as he walked into the room. "He's clearly been kissed by Star again, otherwise he would have called out as soon as he heard us."

Marcus paused. "Damn it … and by the looks of this new fourth story entrance to the building, I'm guessing Lannister managed to outsmart him."

Mathew looked out the hole and into the skyline. "Now we'll never catch him … and King Butterfly is going to tear this town apart, and not find Star." He looked away. "We only have two hours left … nowhere near enough time."

Marcus looked up at me. "Maybe Marco has a clue where he went."

"We're not getting anything out of him." Mathew replied as he looked back slightly.

"Maybe." Marcus began. "Or maybe not." He walked closer to me, pulled out his knife and began cutting me down.

"Did you forget?" Mathew asked. "Star's magic is inside of him, preventing him from moving."

"I remember." Marcus said as he cut the final web and catching me before I tumbled. "But … I do have something that might get him moving again." Marcus pulled out a leather roll-up pouch. "Thing is … nether of you are going to like it very much."

* * *

**Okay, so I am currently working on chapter 48 … and I still have more to go … this story will have the more chapters in it than any of my other stories, BUT, it may not have the most words. My word per chapter count is lower than 'Not Better Left Unsaid' which was about 3000 which is actually about what this chapter is. I'm trying to make these chapters longer so I don't have to have so many but … I make no promises.**

**R&amp;R**


	43. Chapter 43

**I know a lot of you think that it took me a while to update today but I had a doctor's appointment that gave me some very frightening news, since my last visit, I've lost eight pounds, now I know that's not really something to worry about for most people but when you're a 24 year old guy and you weigh 140 pounds, you start to get a little concerned about things, especially when you spend the majority of your time on the computer. But enough about me, let's talk about this story, like I said, this will end up being my longest story thus far so don't be surprised when I hit 50 chapters. Now for the reviews and let me say, thank you all, I love receiving reviews.**

**Finnjr63: Oh, things haven't even started to get interesting yet.**

**Secret Sauze: I will leave you hanging until this chapter gets posted.**

**AntiTrooperGirl: I'm afraid I don't know wat your saying.**

**H. Mae: Where did I get that? Well … oh … you just never mind that, all will be clear … eventually. You know, now I want to know what's going on in that room … I just wish I could see in there. Why doesn't he like Marcus? Well … I'm not sure there really is a reason … then again … I could be lying.**

**PureWishes02: I try to update once a week but … with camp coming up that might not be as possible.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: It wouldn't have helped; Star has six arms and the power of webs so Marco didn't stand a chance.**

**Eeznii: Um … when did I ever bring up that twilight fanfiction? I seem to be missing my half of the conversation we had … sorry, I just don't know what to say about it.**

**MasterTigress4444: You know, I'm up to chapter 49 and I'm really looking forward to writing the fight between Lannister and Marco, bet that confuses you, huh?**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I tried to make it as sweet as possible.**

**Golden boomers: You know … I like the relationships that end up being somewhat Demisexual (requires a strong emotional attachment) so I have it take some time before they get together some times. Now I do have a few one shots where the couple get together in a matter of pages, but I wrote those because I needed to have a few one shots.**

**Ange507090: If I say yes then I would be spoiling it, if I say no then I'm lying to throw you off and give you a false sense of what's happening … then again I've been doing that for every review asking about information on the story in this chapter so far so let's go with no.**

**Zues Killer Productions: EXALT? No no no, it's a more friendly group, goes by the name of … oh, hold on I need to look it up … ADVENT, that's it, they're a lot nicer than EXALT, they even offered to take me to our alien overlords, of course I had to decline and xylophones can operate mice in scientific studies till insects live life for insane ghosts hitting time into Nigeria's grammar. I like to think my letters come first.**

**PacDipperMarcoPenn: I will update as fast as I can.**

**Snowdrop: Thank you snowdrop.**

**Sonicdash: What can I say? I like to stay as cannon as possible. Also, I tried to modify your review when you sent in the fixed one but … it didn't keep the modification … sorry about that.**

**aliyaperez101: Thank you.**

**Garouge Faux: That makes me happy.**

**Gb: Thank you.**

**Arthur: I always love it when someone new comes to the story, and reading all 42 chapters in such a short time is impressive.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I stood there as Marcus unraveled the leather roll, and Mathew looked at it like it contained a disembodied head. "What the HECK are you going to do with those?" He asked.

"What do you think?" Marcus asked as he looked at Mathew.

_I really wish I knew what Marcus has planned._ I thought. He pulled out a needle, made from sterilized silver, and I began to panic. _I really hope Marcus isn't planning what I … wait._ I thought. _This might actually work._

"Nothing is more effective against magic than sterilized silver; if we insert a few of these into him, then it should get rid of the magic." Marcus said as he pulled out a cloth and began polishing the needle.

"But it's sterilized silver Marcus!" Mathew shouted. "Do you know-"

"How bad it is?" Marcus interrupted. "Yes, I do."

"How did you get it?"

Marcus put the needle down and began polishing another. "I crafted them from the raw batch we recovered from Roy, there wasn't much, so I had to get creative." He put it down and began polishing a third. "I figured that it might come in handy somehow; and using them as medical supplies would work best."

Mathew shook his head. "When Star finds out-"

"That the silver that was sadly drained by Roy was used to help save her life? You know what Marco would give to save her?"

"What would he give?" Mathew asked.

"I don't know." Marcus replied as he finished polishing a fourth, and picked up the first. "Let's find out." He placed the needle beneath my rib cage and slowly pushed it in, causing massive pain. I felt Star's magic disappear, and soon enough I was able to speak again and the first thing I did was yell out in pain. "DAMN IT MARCUS!" I shouted causing him to pull the needle out.

"Sorry!" He pleaded. "I didn't know it was going to hurt so much."

"No." I said between breaths. "I still can't move my arms and legs, and don't go slow this time, I need to get to Star."

Marcus placed the needle back into his pouch and pulled out a second one. "Pick a limb, this is going to hurt."

"Wait." Mathew said as he stopped Marcus.

"NO!" I replied. "I don't care if it's sterilized silver or not, I need to get to Star before Lannister injects her with his formula."

Mathew pulled out one of the needles and began examining my arm. "The arms and legs have a lot of arteries in them, if you're not careful, then you could puncture one and he might bleed to death." He placed it on a spot on my arm. "Do you have anything to wrap it in? Even if I manage to miss the artery there will still be blood. Something adhesive maybe."

"We're surrounded by Star's webs." Marcus said as he pulled one off the wall.

Mathew took the web then began to push the needle into my arm causing great pain but releasing the paralyzation, allowing me to move it again. Once I began clenching my fist, he slowly removed the needle while applying pressure. Once it was removed, he proceeded to wrap it in the web, while keeping pressure on it. "Only three more to go." Mathew stated as he began searching my other arm for a spot to place the third needle. "Now answer me something, what happened here?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, I managed to outsmart Lannister and make it in here before him; Star sealed the room behind me." Mathew found the spot and pushed the needle in as I clenched my other hand. "After that … I told Star the truth."

"Truth?" Mathew asked as he removed the needle and applied the bandage.

"Yeah." I replied. "I told her how … I should have talked to her about the cult the second I found out about it."

"About time." Marcus added.

"This next part is going to be a little … troublesome." Mathew stated. "Too many arteries in the upper portion of the leg, so I will have to insert it in the lower portion." He looked up at me. "It's going to make it difficult to run."

"Not going to be a problem." I replied.

He went back to work on searching for the ideal spot. "So what happened next?"

"Well, she threw all her arms around me, then kissed me, causing ... this." Mathew stuck the needle into my leg as Marcus began polishing a fifth. "She then dragged me in here and webbed me against the wall … then things … got … personal."

Mathew applied the third makeshift bandage then went onto my other leg. "Personal, how?" He asked.

"Um … Mathew?" Marcus asked as he looked around the room. "This … this is a nest."

Mathew paused to look around before looking back to what he was doing. "All right then, let's skip that part, what happened next?"

"Lannister came in and shot a tranq into Star, then blasted the wall away and flew off."

"He flew" Marcus asked. "How … never mind, I've seen enough strange things lately."

Mathew stuck the final needle into my leg. "Where did he take her?" He asked as he slowly pulled it out.

"He said he is waiting for our rematch." I answered. "Same place, same outcome."

"Which is?" Mathew asked as he applied the bandage.

"The same place I fought him in the original karate tournament." When Mathew was done, I stood up slowly. "I have a plan to deal with him; if you trust me."

"You know I trust you." Marcus answered.

"Not you Marcus, I need you to make sure of something else."

"Is that a priority?" Mathew asked.

"Lannister said he sent some of his men after Stella, I need you to make sure she's safe. I'm sure she can look after herself, but … I don't want any regrets."

"Star's life won't be a regret?" Mathew asked.

"Not if you do your part." I replied. "You're going to be the one to free her."

"Say what?" He asked.

"I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus was running back to the theater to check on Stella, like Marco had asked; he wasn't particularly upset about it, but he felt like it was kinda pointless. "She's probably beaten them all before we even got to her." Marco stated as he reached the door. He opened it, slowly, and what he saw more or less confirmed what he had assumed;. Lannister's cultists had arrived and freed the others but Stella had knocked nearly all of them unconscious with her bo staff. Only two were left and they looked like they were about to die of fright. "Called it." Marcus said as he walked into the room. "Hey Stella, Marco-" He stopped when he saw how she was dealing with the cultists. She had struck one in the head, then proceeded to bash him even after he went down, and was unconscious on the floor. "What the heck?" Marcus asked as he walked into the room.

Stella looked at him then smiled an evil smile. "Fresh blood." She said creepily. "But first to feast on this one." She said as she turned to the remaining cultist. The cultist began to take a few steps back, as she charged him. As she charged, Marcus pulled out his lighter and a rocket and lit it, Stella managed to bash the final cultist in the head, causing him to bleed. Marcus threw the rocket just as it went off; it cut Stella off just as she was about to hit the cultist again. "Can't wait, can you?" She asked as she turned to him. "Very well, please be more interesting than the others."

Marcus took a few steps back and pulled out a Roman candle. "I don't want to do this, Stella." He pleaded.

"But I do." She replied.

She charged him with her staff, and Marcus was forced to light his Roman candle; which went off right before she reached him. Just before getting hit however, she spun her staff in front of her blocking every shot from Marcus's Roman candle. "Is that the best you got?" She asked.

"No?" Marcus replied weakly.

"Then show me!" Stella came at him, ready to strike, and Marcus ducked her attack, just in time. She swung again, which Marcus managed to dodge, and this continued until Marcus hit a wall. "Can't run away anymore." She said as she raised her staff. Marcus raised his arms in defense, but just as she was about to swing, Bagel jumped up and bit her arm; causing her swing to veer off. "Damn you." She said as she tried to grab the laser puppy. She managed to get a hand on it and rip it from her arm and throw it across the room.

"BAGEL!" Marcus exclaimed. "That's it." He pulled out two firecrackers. "This is personal."

He lit the firecrackers and threw them at Stella as she charged, causing her to recoil from their explosions. Marcus used the opportunity to pull out a display tube and light it. Just as Stella got her senses back, the display tube went off and nailed her, causing her to fall back. Marcus threw the display tube to the side, and pined Stella with his forearm against her throat. "That was a mistake." She said with a smile. "I'm the best at randori." She quickly reversed the situation and was now on top of Marcus. "Should have finished me off when you had the chance."

"What's gotten into you Stella?" He asked. "You're not like this."

"You don't know me!" She shouted with joy. "Breaking bones is so much fun and exhilarating!" Just as she was about to crush Marcus, Bagel came back and bit her arm again causing her fall off Marcus.

Marcus got up, and pulled out his final Roman candle. "BAGEL, JUMP!" He shouted. Bagel leapt off Stella just as the candle went off, causing it to bombard Stella, who simply rolled out of the way. "Not this time." He said as he pulled out a rocket and pointed it at her. Bagel zapped the rocket's fuse, which caused it to launch at Stella, who managed to barely dodge out of the way. Marcus then pulled out three more rockets and pointed them at her and Bagel zapped the fuses firing them off one after another. Stella knocked them all away, but Marcus pulled out his last two display tubes, and smiled. "This is checkmate." Bagel zapped both of them, and two fireballs flew in Stella's direction and nailed her, sending her and her bo staff flying in separate directions. Marcus ran over to her and knelt beside her, checking for a pulse. "Oh, thank god." He said with a sigh of relief.

"Why so thankful?" Stella asked as she grabbed his neck. "You let your guard down again, when you had the chance to end it!"

Bagel tried to zap her but she grabbed the poor puppy by the face, and slammed him against the floor while covering his eyes. "No." Marcus squeezed out. "I don't want to end you." He pulled out his lighter and held it just below her arm. "Don't make me do this."

"Do it." She replied as her grip tightened.

"No." Marcus squeezed out as he pulled out a cherry bomb and threw it a distance away from Stella's head, causing her to recoil in pain. Marcus instantly wrapped his arm around her neck, and held her in a sleeper hold. After struggling for a few moments, she finally stopped moving, and Marcus let go. "Please stay down." He said as he collapsed. "I can't fight anymore." As Marcus opened his eyes, he saw Bagel standing next to his head. "Thanks buddy." He said with a smile. Bagel began barking again, and growling at Marcus. "I guess some things never change."

* * *

**How many of you have more questions now than when this chapter started? Well, that's just the way I role, now to post this chapter and post a link to it on Tumbler.**

**R&amp;R**


	44. Chapter 44

**I know this chapter is a little late but I wanted it to be up right before I left. Now I will technically still be here for two and a half days but I won't be posting anything. I will also have NO wifi so don't expect anything over the week. I may post something when I get home on Friday but … let's not get our hopes up. Now for the reviews.**

**kitsune king jr: She was attacking Marcus and trying to kill him of course.**

**Sabrina06: You know … that might work.**

**twin4444: And you were so sure as well.**

**AntiTrooperGirl: If you watch 'The Other Foreign Exchange Student' then Stella is the girl who is kissing Marco in the portrait (At least that's where I got the idea for her) Marcus is … one of my OC's.**

**PFTones3482: I just can't wait to see your face when I reveal this stories biggest secret.**

**Finnjr63: No she is still very much alive.**

**H. Mae: I don't know what got into her, maybe it has something to do with what's been going on. Also, I saw the picture you drew of Marcus and Bagel and I really liked it, thanks again. Making things difficult is what I do best … but I don't want to put that on my resume. I believe that Star conjured the puppies out of nothingness or out of magic … how that's possible is beyond me but who knows. Yay! More art!**

**Your Fellow Thespian: Oh … well … I … don't know how to respond to you not having any words.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: New episodes this Monday … but I will be at camp so I can't see them till Friday.**

**Sparkle986: Well, You'll have to wait till Friday at the earliest.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Seven days till I update again at the very least, sorry.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Secret Sauze: Because I'm Axis24 that's why.**

**Mmcprincess123: Oh, a lot of people are confused right now; wait till you see the explanation.**

**aliyaperez101: I too wish hugs were possible through a computer.**

**Snowdrop: Yeah, that might be difficult seeing as said friend is still human.**

**BATTLE: Yeah, well, their fight is coming up sooner rather than later.**

**No offense: Um … none taken?**

**JW TS: I like making people confused.**

**Sonicdash: What else likes blood? And if she was a vampire then wouldn't she burst into flames when exposed to direct sunlight?**

**Eeznii: Yes, I will be writing more SVTFOE fanfiction and I have considered gravity falls … until SVTFOE came out and proved to work better with my style of a show without a plot … or it did until recent episodes but I will still do SVTFOE stories. Maybe I'll pick up gravity falls at some point … I do have an OC ready to be put into that show … or should I say two OC's.**

**Exodis: I am surprised and flattered that you read this in one day, and thank you, I appreciate the support.**

**Snow-Rain-Sunshine: You know sometimes I wish I knew someone in real life who liked my stories … not sure how that would work though since they would know me … I digress. Glad to have you on board.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

Mathew and I had made it to the school, where the tournament was held last week, with only an hour remaining. "So what's the plan Marco?" Mathew asked.

"Simple, I'm going to distract Lannister while you find Star and free her." I replied.

"Is that all?" Mathew asked, sarcastically. "Lannister will rip you to shreds you know."

"I know." I replied. "I fought Roy, remember? Not to mention he flew out the fourth floor, right in front of me."

"I never managed to ask you how you managed to defeat Roy." Mathew asked.

"You'll see soon enough." I replied. "There's a side entrance, stay out of sight until you have an opening."

"Can do." He replied as he walked off.

I gave him a few moments to reach the side entrance, before pushing the main door open. The gym was only a few steps away, but it felt like it was on the other side of the world. "Are you ready for this, Marco?" Monster Arm asked. "You know that if you want to stand a chance against him … you'll need my help."

"I know." I replied. "Has enough of Star's magic been removed?"

"Yes but … Star will see me." He added.

"I'll never be able to see her again anyway, there's nothing left for me to lose by her seeing you."

"So eager to accept the worst Marco, you don't know what's going to happen."

"I know what's going to happen." I replied. "Lannister is going to lose."

"So long as you can live with the consequences." He replied. I felt Monster Arm's power flow through me as I reached the door to the gym.

As I walked into the gym I found it more bare than the last time I was here, but I was a lot more stressed. Star was at the center of the room with her arms stretched to the side, and chained to the floor. She had returned to her normal form, her eyes were open, but they looked dead. Lannister was walking around her saying something too quiet for me to hear. "This is it." I said to myself. I walked into the gym and made my presence known. "LANNISTER!" I shouted. Lannister looked at me with a smile, and Star's eyes went wide like she had just heard something terrifying.

She slowly looked up at me, and almost burst into tears. "MARCO!" She shouted. "You have to leave, it isn't safe here!"

"Nowhere is safe unless I return you to your father, and I probably have a much better chance of living if I stay and fight."

"You know I might actually agree with you on that." Lannister said as he walked over to me, leaving burning footprints in his wake. "You'll still die; but better chances are better chances."

"I'm not about to let you turn the princess of Mewni into your personal slave." I spat.

Lannister began floating into the air. "You know Marco, you would make a great cult leader, you are so devoted that you would walk right into your own death."

"I'm nothing like you." I spat again.

"You're right." He said as he manifested balls of fire above his palms. "I'm not freakishly out classed."

"Marco, please, run!" Star begged. "He's not a normal human; he's going to kill you!"

"I'm not backing down now, Star." I replied. "Nothing you say can change my mind."

"I don't need a hero, Marco! Just tell my dad where I am and he'll come straight here!"

"That's not going to work, Star." Lannister replied. "Marco's bent on being the hero, so now he can die like one."

"We'll see about that." I threw my arm out, transforming it into Monster Arm, and wrapped it around Lannister and smashed him against the ground before he could contemplate what was happening. Then, without releasing my grip on him, I turned around and threw him against the wall. "I have a few more tricks up my sleeve Lannister." I turned back to Star, who looked like she had just seen me die. "I've … been keeping some things from you as well."

"Interesting." Lannister said as he stood up, apparently without a scratch. "I should have figured, there was no other way for you to defeat Roy."

"Roy was weak and would have killed himself if I didn't dunk him into the ocean." I retorted.

"Well you don't have an ocean here." Lannister said as he began to levitate again. "And I'm much better trained than Roy." A ring of fire began to circle him, at a high speed. He pointed at me, then small fire bullets began to fire from the wheel. Still not able to run, I lashed at them as fast as I could, in hopes of destroying all of them before they collided with me. "You can't keep this up Marco." He said as the fire bullets stopped. I noticed a ring of fire form around me, and I jumped out of it before it exploded into a pillar of fire. "How long can you keep this up?" He asked as another ring formed beneath me. I jumped out of this one as well, and the next one that formed, before I felt a cramp in my legs.

"Damn it." I said to myself as I jumped out of another one. I threw an extended punch at him, which he easily dodged as he ran his fingers across my arm causing a burning sensation. "ARGH!" I shouted as I transformed it back into a normal arm to see the burn mark where he ran his finger.

"You can't touch me Marco." Lannister joked.

"We'll see about that." I said as I transformed my arm back into a tentacle. I tried to punch him again, but this time he merely sidestepped me without touching it.

"Sorry Marco, I'm just too fast for you." He joked. The ring around him began spinning again as another ring formed beneath me.

"Damn!" I shouted as I dodged out of the ring, only to get pelted by fireballs. I managed to dodge out of a ring again; but I wasn't able to avoid his fireballs.

"You call yourself a hero, Marco?" He asked.

"I'm no hero, Lannister!" I shouted back.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched as Marco and Lannister fought vigorously, but I felt like I had lost something inside of myself. "Why?" I asked softly. "Why … did he have to do this?" I tried reaching for my wand again, but my arms were chained up too tightly to reach it. "Why didn't he tell me Monster Arm was back? Why couldn't he …" I froze as my hair fell over my eyes. "Marco … doesn't trust me." I continued to watch for a while as Lannister began shooting streams of fire at Marco, who was only barely dodging out of the way. "I should have told him the truth, I should have trusted my …" I closed my eyes as tears began to form. "My best friend." I broke down and went into full out crying. "I wanted to keep him safe … I wanted to protect him." I opened my eyes and saw Marco land a punch that knocked Lannister clear across the room. "I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't need protecting."

"You could say that." I heard a familiar voice. I looked up to see Mathew next to me holding a sword out. "I don't know what's going through that guy's head, but he's giving up his life to save you, which means he's all right in my book."

"Mathew." I replied quietly. "You have to-"

"I have to free you, Star." He said as he raised his sword.

"You can't cut iron with wood Mathew." I stated. "You have to leave, now!"

"I've been keeping a few things from you as well, my princess." He said as his sword caught fire. He slashed through the chains restraining my left hand which allowed for me to reach for my wand, which I used to turn my the other chain into a flock of butterflies. I then did the same to the remainder of the chain on my left hand. "Now please, we must be on our way."

I looked over to Marco, who had just received a direct hit from Lannister's fire blasts and was now against a wall. "I can't just leave him."

"His death will mean nothing if you stay." Mathew pleaded. "Please, let Marco be the hero he wants to be so I can get you to safety."

"Hero?" I asked as I watched Lannister form two rings of fire that crossed right in front of him, where giant fireball was forming. "No … Marco isn't trying to be a hero." I walked in Lannister's direction and pointed my wand at him. "Hey Lannister!" I shouted. He glanced over at me and I leered. "Hydro Cannon Extinguisher!" A large blast of water erupted from my wand and collided with Lannister, knocking him off balance then causing him to fall to the ground.

"Argh." He said as he tried to get up.

"Aquatic Devastation!" A giant pillar of water erupted from the ground, engulfing Lannister before receding back into the ground.

I walked up to him, and looked down where he lay. He slowly turned his head to look at me and smiled. "You must tell me what it feels like to betray your best friend."

I raised my wand into the air as I began grinding my teeth. "Supper, TIDAL WAVE!" A massive tidal wave appeared and swept him against the far wall with a loud thud. I walked over him and leered at him, again. He looked up at me with a smile and I pointed my wand at him. "Magic … Manacles." A pair of manacles appeared on his hands, restraining him. "You've caused me so much trouble."

"I think we both know who's to blame for your trouble, Star." He retorted.

I raised my wand at him, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Star, I think we have more pressing issues." Mathew stated.

"You're not off the hook either, Mathew!" I said as I looked at him. "You have a LOT of explaining to do."

He pointed to Marco who was motionless on the ground, Monster Arm had disappeared but I knew that he was still in him. I walked over to Marco and looked down at him. "Marco?" I asked.

He opened his eyes, slightly, and looked up at me. "Star?" He asked.

"Marco." I replied.

He was silent for some time as a smile formed on his face. "I was wrong … you did come to save me." His eyes shut and his head fell, causing my heart to drop.

"MARCO!" I shouted as I grabbed his shoulders. "Please don't die on me Marco, I need you!"

"Star!" Mathew shouted. "Your father?"

I turned to look at Mathew, then sighed. "Fine." I pulled out my dimensional scissors and walked back to Lannister and hoisted him up by the collar. "You're coming with us."

"As you wish my princess." He said jokingly.

I slammed him against the wall, causing him to grunt in pain. "You don't get to call me that." I hissed.

"Star?" Mathew began. "Maybe you should let me open the portal, you did say your parents don't know that-"

"That I have dimensional scissors." I finished. "Fine, do you have any?" I asked as I turned to him.

He pulled out bronze dimensional scissors, and opened a portal to Mewnie. "After you my princess."

I walked towards the portal, only stopping briefly to look at Marco. "We have to take him with us."

"He's not the one worried about his precious daughter who might be dead." Mathew added.

I sighed. "Right … I'll have to come back for him."

I walked through the portal and soon found myself in front of the castle where my parents were, along with the entire Royal Army. My parents hadn't noticed me yet, but all the soldiers were staring at me in awe. My mom and dad slowly turned around to see what everyone was gawking at, and when they saw me, they started crying. "Star?" My dad asked as he and mom walked up to me.

"Hi Dad, hi Mom." I replied.

My mom and dad ran up to me and hugged me. "I heard what happened." My mom began. "We feared the worst. It's good to see you're back to normal."

"Of course she is." Lannister replied. "I only used a temporary dose on her."

My father looked at him with a sense of bloodlust. "YOU!" He growled as he walked over to him and grabbed him by the neck. "You're the one that did this to my daughter."

"Dad, no!" I shouted. "He's still just a human!"

My dad stood there for a moment, before throwing him to his men. "Take him to the dungeon, I'll deal with him later."

A few of his men grabbed Lannister and carted him off the dungeon, as my father turned to look at Mathew, who had taken a knee as soon as he walked through the portal. "I turn myself in for whatever judgment you see fit my king." Mathew replied.

My dad looked at him for a moment before turning to his men. "Take him to the dungeon as well."

I was shocked at hearing this, I quickly broke from my mother's grasp and stood between my father and Mathew. "No! Mathew's done nothing but try and help me take down Lannister, he even helped save me from him, he's not like his brother!"

My father sighed. "Fine, then take him to a guest room, and place a guard on him. He goes nowhere without an escort."

"Thank you." I said as I hugged my dad.

A few guards came to take Mathew to a room, and another walked up to my father. "Your Majesty." He began. He pulled out a pair of golden dimensional scissors and presented them to him. "These fell off the one known as Lannister."

"Very good." My dad replied. "He won't need these anymore."

"Wait a second." I began. "Marco! He still needs help!" I grabbed the golden dimensional scissors, but my mother grabbed my arm preventing me from going anywhere.

"You're not going back to Earth right now Star, if ever again." My mother replied.

"Marco is hurt and needs help!" I shouted. "He distracted Lannister so that Mathew could free me, he might be dying!"

"That's not our concern!" My mother stated.

"Of course it's our concern!" My father corrected. "The life of someone who protected our daughter? I'll go personally and bring him to the infirmary." He handed me the dimensional scissors. "I don't know where the fight took place though."

I took the scissors, and opened a portal to the gym; then handed the scissors back to my dad. "Please bring him back safe." I asked.

"I promise." He replied. He ran through the portal, which closed behind him.

My mom dismissed the soldiers and walked me back to the castle. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"I'm fine." I replied. "I don't remember much from after I got injected, but I think I'm okay."

"Are you feeling anything strange, or has anything changed?"

"Well …" I began. I poked my wings through the holes in the back of my shirt, which had remained at their full size after I transformed back. "These remained."

"I'm going to have the doctor take a look at that." She stated instantly.

"Please tell me I get to keep them." I pleaded. "Marco might like them."

"Why does that matter?" My mom asked.

I looked away. "Um … no reason."

My mom smiled and looked to where we were walking. "You know … your father was talking about the possibility of knighting him … but after today that might be a moot point."

I stopped walking. "Wait … Marco's going to be a knight?" I asked.

"Not likely anymore." My mom replied. "If you don't return to earth Earth then it's not going to matter much, now is it?"

I looked to the front, as I let it sink in. "So … Marco … was almost a knight."

"Yes Star, now let's get you to your room so you can rest."

* * *

**Okay, like I said, I will be gone for the next week so don't go looking for me, but please keep up with those reviews, they are very entertaining and they give me strength. As for length, I am currently working on chapter 50 and … I still have … 8 or 9 more events to go that might take more than one chapter each. So we're looking at mid-60's for length at most. This is the longest story I've ever written and I want to take this brief moment to thank you all for sticking by for so long.**

**R&amp;R**


	45. Chapter 45

**How long has it been? A week? Maybe longer? Well I'm sorry about the delay, I've been at camp like I said and … I only got back recently. Anyway, here is the next chapter and the only notes I have are going to be at the end so I'll just get to the reviews now but before that … 28 REVIEWS? Holy crap, I … I don't know what to say … thank you.**

**PFTones3482: Not many people like Star's mom but we all know that she is going to be a major part of the upcoming story for the show.**

**H. Mae: I can't wait to see your reaction when I reveal why exactly I knew that you were angry at Mathew. She thought Marco was dead or going to die when her father got there and tore the town apart. I could explain it (and it's not that much of a spoiler) but in a few chapters it might be clearer.**

**Finnjr63: Actually Marco realized that Star doesn't need a hero, just a friend who can help her when she really needs it.**

**FalconPuncher: I don't understand why you think that but I'm not in the illuminate.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: No, I just have short chapters.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Yeah, Star feels bad about what she did and wants to talk to Marco about so many things but she will have to find him first.**

**Secret Sauze: Star did lie to Marco on numerous occasions even though Marco could … kinda handle himself as far as Star knew.**

**JollyPayton: More or less … I think.**

**Power Master Story Writer: She's not dead my friend, she's still with us.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: Actually Roy is not a brother, only Mathew and Lannister are brothers.**

**Moonlight: We can only hope.**

**Jamie Mercado: Sorry it took so long to update, my next chapter will be here sooner, I promise.**

**JW TS is hyped: What about Marcus and Stella?**

**Sonicdash: Sorry about the break, I feel bad about keeping this from you all.**

**Snow-Rain-Sunshine: I like to make sure I don't make continuity errors which is why I am so far ahead.**

**MasterTigress4444: Thank you.**

**Mmcprincess123: The concept of only being able to marry royalty was something that I thought was a thing when I first started writing this story but after some research I found out otherwise but I'm still keeping with that for this story so my answer to your question is no, star wouldn't be able to marry him, but he would be able to marry Star, it's an English thing mostly but I want to stress that it's not something that Star isn't allowed to do, but something that Marco isn't allowed to do.**

**Cobra-100: There is a long way to go before that my friend.**

**Guest: You're too kind.**

**Steel Razer: *Gives thumbs up as well***

**Snowdrop: You will find out.**

**GravityFalls61816: Thank you.**

**Yes: No.**

**phoenixhunter300: I can't wait either, this story is writing itself half the time and I need to make sure it's not dragging on with exposition.**

**AccurateAviator: It warms my heart to know that people are such fans of my story.**

**Gb: I already have an idea for a crossover fic and you need an account to favorite a story.**

**Kiwi The Watch: Um … thanks?**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting in the infirmary while the healer finished up my latest examination. "Well, the good news is that I haven't found anything that would be a cause for alarm." He stated.

"And the bad news?" I asked.

"Your wings can't sustain flight." He replied.

"Uh huh." I stated bluntly. "Now what can you tell me that the last five didn't tell me?"

"Well there are no lingering magical effects on you, and physically you just have a few scrapes and bruises. I think you'll be fine."

"Thank you." I said as I jumped off the bed. "Now I to get down to some unfinished business." I walked out of the Royal Infirmary and into the public one. The many beds that were lined up along the walls were empty, as usual, with the exception of the three furthest. There I saw two cultists, along with Stella. Marcus, along with my father, were sitting nearby and one of the laser puppies was sleeping on Marcus's lap. I rushed over and as I approached, my father looked up and smiled as soon as he saw me.

"Star!" He exclaimed as he walked up to me and gave me a hug. "What did the healer say?"

"All six of them said I was fine, Dad." I said as I hugged him back. "What about Marco?"

My father let go of me, before looking sheepishly to the side, then back at me. "Well … thing is … he wasn't there."

I became concerned at his words. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean he wasn't on the other side of the portal, sure there was evidence of a battle, but I found no one."

"But he was there when I left; he couldn't have been alone for more than a few moments." I stated. "You're telling me he just up and vanished?"

"It gets better." Marcus added with a faux smile. "Lannister sent Roy's former body guards to attack Stella and not only did three of them escape, but Stella went crazy and attacked me."

"What?!" I asked, shocked. I looked over at Stella and noticed hospital restraints securing her arms and legs. "So … how did that happen?"

"Not a clue." Marcus replied. "I passed out after my fight with Stella. As for the ten cultists, if memory serves, they're being held in the dungeon."

I looked at the two who were restrained on their beds. "What about the assassin?" I asked.

"Assassin!?" My father exclaimed. "Wait, Marco did mention a second assassin."

"The smith known as Paul." Marcus answered. "I didn't actually stop to check on him, to be honest. He might be there, he might …" Marcus face palmed. "Did we ever stop to pick up his dagger?" There was an awkward silence as we all tried to remember, but failed. "I need to go back to Earth and see if he's still there."

My father pulled out Lannister's dimensional scissors and handed them to Marcus. "Lannister won't be needing these again, just make sure you don't lose them."

"Thank you." Marcus said as he took the scissors. He placed the sleeping laser puppy onto the bed and opened a portal to Earth, stepping through; leaving my father and myself alone.

I took a seat where Marcus was sitting and my father turned to look at me, expecting me to say something. "So …" I began as I hugged my knees. "I heard that you were thinking about making Marco a knight."

"I was considering it." He replied. "I'm still considering it, if we can find him."

I perked up slightly. "You mean I might be able to mmm-" I stopped myself before I could go any farther. "I mean … he might still be knighted?"

"Yes." He said slowly. He began looking at me, as though he suspected something. "Star, how much do you remember from when you went into Mewberty?"

"Not much." I replied as I hugged my knees. "It went dark then the next thing I know, I'm waking up with chains on my wrists and my wings had gotten a lot bigger." I stretched my wings out of the holes in my shirt and looked at them. "Still can't fly but they do look nice at the very least."

"So … you don't remember when you kissed Marco?"

I froze as his words hit my ears. "Please tell me you're joking." I replied.

"It happened right after you lost consciousness. You kissed him, causing a magical paralysis."

"Oh god." I said as I dug my knees into my eyes. "Please tell me I didn't try to … mate with him."

"If what I heard from Marcus … they found Marco webbed to a wall, in what looked like a nest."

I began hitting my head against my knees. "Damn, damn, damn."

"Easy, Star." My dad said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Marco is human, thus doesn't know what that implies."

I stopped hitting my head against my knees and looked at my dad. "You're not human though."

"No I am not." He replied. "Is there something you've been meaning to tell me?"

"I haven't been meaning to tell anyone, really." I replied.

"You think I disapprove?" He asked. "Given, I still don't believe he's good enough; but he's miles ahead of the last guy you fell for."

"I don't even know if he cares about me anymore." I replied. "The only reason he saved me was because you were going to tear down the town if he didn't."

My father placed a hand on my shoulder. "Star … I'm sure he still cares about you … and I'm sure that if you could simply talk to him, then you would find out that he may care about you just as much." I looked away and he sighed. "You're going to stay here for the night and I'll talk to your mother about letting you return to Earth."

"You're going to let me return to Earth?" I asked hopefully.

"We do have to release Roy, but we are able to keep Lannister locked up here for a good long time. Also Roy doesn't have any of his former support; so he's not going to be much of a threat."

"So I can go looking for Marco?" I asked as I began to get excited.

"Maybe." He repeated. "Your mother and I must consider it."

Just then, a portal from Earth opened, and Marcus walked through. "I'll give you one guess." He began.

"The smith has disappeared." My father finished. "Something else to consider then." He turned to Marcus. "Stella is going to stay where she is for the time being, until we can figure out what to do with her. In the meantime you should go home, it's getting late and your parents are probably worried about you."

"Yeah, it's a little past dinner time and I'm getting hungry." Marcus replied. "What should I do about Bagel?"

My dad looked at the still sleeping laser puppy, then back to Marcus. "He'll stay here for the night, let us worry about him after that."

"Can do." Marcus replied before opening a portal back to Earth.

My dad turned back to me. "You should get some rest Star, I'm going to question Mathew; then send him back to Earth as well."

"Can I come?"

He shook his head. "I still don't trust him enough, even if he did save you. If you do end up seeing him again, it's not going to be on Mewni."

I sighed and nodded. "Fine, just don't hurt him."

* * *

**Alright, so first, I have an open ask thing going on over on my tumbler account (Axis2400) where you can ask me just about anything you want to ask me and I will … respond to it. Remember, Axis2400 is my user name there if you're looking for me, and if not, then just ignore this. Now to go and post a link to this on tumbler.**

**R&amp;R**


	46. Chapter 46

**So a lot of people were upset that the chapter I posted when I came back was really short and I'm sorry about that but there's not much that I could have done about it. This chapter is also kinda short so sorry in advance but I've been having a lot of … I don't want to call it writers block because … well … it's not. It's more like … I'm too distracted to write and before you ask, yes, I'm talking about the chapter that you won't see for a while and yes, I do have the next chapter … almost ready but I don't want to keep posting them and not working on new ones because then I will fall so far behind that before I know it, I won't have any new chapters. But I digress, time for the reviews.**

**BrokenElite: Thank you, this story has gotten a little harder to write for some reason so I appreciate the support.**

**H. Mae: You know I'm starting to think I forgot to hint at something that I wanted to hint at and … never mind, I haven't posted that chapter yet. You know, I saw that for the first time shortly after I finished this chapter and I thought it was really cute and a very funny coincidence as well. You will actually find out soon, well … not soon but … you'll find out before the end of the week. Also, your theory is amazing, it's actually more interesting than what happens … but you know me so you know to take that with a grain of salt … but I do think it's interesting.**

**Finnjr63: Second assassin? There was only the one who had his arm broken by Marco.**

**MasterTigress4444: Well … that … is … not something I can divulge.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: Yeah, Marco's just going to end up explaining it when he comes back, that's not a spoiler, I'm just telling you that I'm not going to backtrack.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: It would be bad, wouldn't it … *evil smile***

**Secret Sauze: I'm sorry but like I said, I was on vacation last week, as for why I got into SVTFOE, well, when Phineas and Ferb ended I needed something else to fill the void it left, I tried to get onto Gravity Falls but although it was good and is one of the shows I like, it wasn't viable, I tried RC9GN but that was an even worse fit although still good, I then tried Stevin Universe … same story, when I picked up EarthBound it managed to do an okay job, I even began thinking up a story for it but … I couldn't motivate myself enough. Then SVTFOE came on the air and I remembered watching the promotion and thinking 'This … might be a good watch.' I also really wanted to see how much Marco reminded me of me (which is a lot and has begun getting a little scary) and when I saw the first episode … I was hooked.**

**Mmcprincess123: Oh … well … I can't say yes because this is still a 'T' ratted story (can I say yes to that?) so I'm going to say … I don't know what you thought she was going to say.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: I'm sorry, I was at camp with NO wifi and no way to update chapters but don't worry, you get to see how Marco dies soon … wait … what? Was I serious? I don't remember having Marco die … did I change it? Damn, now I can't remember.**

**aliyaperez101: I'm sorry, camp was isolated!**

**JollyPayton: No, Star's father was about to tare the place to bits to find her and Star wanted to stop him as soon as possible, if you recall, she wanted to go back right away and get him as soon her father was calm.**

**Snow-Rain-Sunshine: Sorry, the chapter just came out like that.**

**AccurateAviator: My advice is just to write from the heart and when that doesn't work … I don't know what I do when that doesn't work, I mean it's happened and I've gotten through it … but it's hard to explain.**

**Snowdrop: You will find out where he is before Friday my friend.**

**Guest: I will.**

**JW TS: If it's fun to ask then ask, I enjoy reading the asks I get even if they are going to be answered in the next chapter because I … I'm not going to give it away.**

**Gb: For me, there was a link (or something) in the upper right hand corner that I clicked on to sign up. You do need to give your e-mail to sign up so there's that.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting on my bed, waiting for just about anything to happen; it had been such an eventful day and even though Lannister was now in custody, it only seemed to cause more problems. On the top of that, there was Marco and everything that happened with him. "How did Monster Arm come back, and why does Marco trust it?" I asked myself. I lay back down and looked at the ceiling. "And why do I feel like that's my fault as well?" I sighed, then looked at my door. "My parents are probably talking about letting me return to Earth … and probably have twenty guards outside my door." I stood up and smiled. "I'm not waiting for tomorrow to find out the verdict, time to sneak out."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Back on earth)

Marcus was walking to the Diaz household to tell them what happened to the kids that called that place home. "Well Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, Star's back on Mewni and will probably never return to Earth. Stella went crazy and tried to kill me, so she's being held in the Mewni infirmary, and Marco, well he vanished without a trace." He paused as he disliked his own words. "Why am I doing this?" He asked. "No one asked me to go head first into the lion's den, so why did I volunteer?"

He reached the house and walked up to the door. "Well, it's now or never." He knocked on the door and waited. After a few moments, the door opened and Marcus got ready to explain what had happened. "Hey MmmmmMarco?!" He stated, shocked, as Marco was the one who had answered the door. "But … you disappeared?!"

"Who said I disappeared?" Marco asked.

"King Butterfly?" Marcus replied. "He said that when he went looking for you, you weren't at the gym."

"Yeah." He replied. "I left soon after Star and Mathew left, figured that she would … never mind." Marco sighed. "You want to come in? I think we both need to be brought up to speed."

"That would be nice." Marcus said as he walked inside. Both Marco and Marcus had taken a seat on the couch and Marcus nearly fell asleep when he sat down. "Oh, I am so stressed out right now."

"Tell me about it." Marco replied. "You want to go first?"

"Gladly." Marcus began. "So you remember how this morning the only thing we had to worry about, other than Lannister's plan, was his forces?"

"Yeah." Marco replied.

"Well, three of Roy's body guards, AND the assassin smith escaped."

"How!?" Marco demanded. "Stella was watching them, even if Roy's former body guards did come, she should have-"

"That's the next thing that went wrong." Marcus continued. "Stella went crazy and tried to kill me as soon as I entered the theater. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure she tried to kill all the cultists as well. I ended up fighting her. I kind of beat her, then I passed out and the next thing I know, King Butterfly is waking me up asking if you were there."

"Stella attacked you?" Marco asked.

"Yes, she did, and I don't know why." Marcus looked over to Marco. "So what happened on your end?"

Marco sat back and recounted the tale. "I fought Lannister while Mathew freed Star. Star defeated Lannister, then returned to Mewni so her father wouldn't destroy everything." Marco sighed. "After that, I managed to get to my feet and I went home expecting Stella to be here …" He looked over to Marcus. "Where exactly is she?"

"Mewni infirmary." Marcus replied. "Last I checked, she was unconscious."

Marco rested his head against the back of the couch. "So we still need to deal with the remainder of Lannister's forces, the smith, and the three body guards. Am I forgetting anything?"

"Three tons of silver and whatever monsters Lannister brought to Earth? And let's not forget that formula that he made that takes control of people, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of it."

Marco looked up through the skylight that Star had made last year, and gazed into the night sky. "At least Star is safe on Mewni."

"You honestly think that?" Marcus asked as he shifted his eyes to look at Marco.

Marco paused, thinking about Star. "I would like that but who am I kidding? She would never let something like this stop her from returning to Earth, she loves it too much here to simply give up and leave." Marco lay back and looked into the skylight. "And that's one of the many things I like about her."

"I thought you didn't trust her anymore." Marcus replied.

Marco paused for a moment. "I … I don't know what to think … I messed up, she messed up, we both made a lot of mistakes … next time I see her we'll need to work it out."

* * *

(Star's POV)

I had snuck out of my room by climbing down to a lower window, which had a severe lack of guards present. A strategy that I had used many times before and I was quite frankly surprised that no one had caught on yet. Making it past patrols was even easier, seeing as this was the first time I had my wand while sneaking out, but it was also the first time I was sneaking to my parents' room. As I reached it, I found that, surprisingly, there were no guards posted outside their door which was something I wasn't about to question. I placed my ear to the door and began listening.

"I keep telling you it's a bad idea." I heard my mom say. "You can't keep Star locked up like some prisoner. That's worse than letting her return to Earth."

I stopped to make sure I was hearing this correctly. "That may be, but I still feel like there's something we're missing. I'm not going to let our daughter get hurt again, because of my mistake." My father noted.

"You have to stop blaming yourself." My mom began. "Lannister is locked up and will stay that way for a very long time; and Roy has been handed to the Earth authorities on charges of theft and conspiracy to kidnap a VIP whatever that means."

"I would feel better if the brand we placed on Roy hadn't burned off … I'm not even sure how that's possible."

"He's still no threat, and Mathew, as well as the remainder of his organization, worships Star."

"Those with power seek to control that power; Mathew might not stay loyal forever, if he's even loyal to begin with." I was hurt by my father's words, Mathew had become one of my closest friends, there was no way he would turn on me.

"We don't know that yet, and we still don't have a real reason to keep Star here, now that the major threat is dealt with."

"This is her home and she was put in massive danger, that's reason enough to keep her from returning to Earth."

"But she loves Earth and would fight tooth and nail to return."

"Are you saying we just give in then?" My father asked. "That's not like you."

"Of course not!" My mom exclaimed. "She has the royal magic wand and has escaped the castle a number of times before so the only way to keep her here is if she chooses to stay here.

"And how do we get her to choose to stay?" My father asked.

"We can't make her choose but we can try and persuade her, She can stay here or return to Earth and if another incident happens, she's getting sent straight to St. Olga's." Thunder struck, sending a chill down my spine.

My father was quiet before replying. "I'm still uneasy … but fine, we'll let her decide."

I walked away from the door and started making my way back to my room. I was a little hurt that my father wanted me to not return to Earth, and didn't trust Mathew; but I was glad that they were going to leave the choice up to me. The only question now was, what am I going to do when I find Marco.

* * *

**So … I think I'm going to pull a FNAF soon … and no one understands what I mean by that so I will leave you all to your thoughts.**

**R&amp;R**


	47. Chapter 47

**When I said I'm pulling a FNAF I meant I was going to do a quick update, not that I was going to write a story for it, that would be … not my style. But I digress, this story is coming along quite nicely so expect the next chapter some time before I go back to school … how many of you forgot that the 24 in my name represents my age? That's right, I'm bragging right now because I don't have to go back to school, it's not all fun and games though … you remember that scene where people are getting interviewed in the show? Well, an actual interview is a LOT harder than that, I'm not joking, they give me small panic attacks. Now to the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: You might find out why King Butterfly is being so cautious or I might just not explain it.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**MasterTigress4444: You know, thinking back I realized that I cut out a … actually it's not that important; I think I'll just include it in the interesting facts portion I do at the end.**

**AccurateAviator: Anything to help a friend.**

**H. Mae: You know … you reminded me about something in the next chapter … I seriously can't wait to talk about it then wait a whole seven days before potion it.**

**Secret Sauze: It stands for Randy Cunningham 9****th**** grade Ninja, not the best in my opinion but it was worth the watch. And I always love to answer a question but if you want an answer sooner than might I suggest asking me on Tumbler? That way you don't have to wait till the next chapter to have it answered (My Tumbler is Axis2400).**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Well, I'm up to chapter 51 or 52 and that part hasn't been written yet, I just love the pronoun game.**

**thewookie1: Yeah, it's a long story; I hope my next one won't be as long.**

**StarcoIsBeast: Um … why can't I do both?**

**Gb: *claps hands* It's always a good thing when more people start to write.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I woke up bright and early the following morning, knowing that my parents were going to let me return to Earth; Sure, I had to be careful to avoid another incident like yesterday, but what were the odds that something like that would happen again with Lannister behind bars? I got dressed and rushed out the door to try and find my parents, in hopes of being able to return to Earth in time to make it to school. When I reached my parents room, I threw the doors open only to find them not there. I figured that they already woke up and were in the throne room; but when I got there, they were nowhere to be found. "Where on Mewni could they have gone?" I asked. I began wandering the halls of the castle, until I came upon the dungeon; I figured that it was worth a shot seeing as my father might be moving Lannister, and if nothing else, I could see just what's become of him. I made my way into the depths, passing a number of cells with skeletons chained to walls, they weren't real, just props to scare people who are taken here. As I continued my way down, I passed by the cells holding the cultists from before; and stopped briefly when I passed Rebeca's, only for her to smile at me. I ignored her and continued onward. As I continued, I found it getting darker and darker so I had to cast a light spell to prevent myself from tripping. I ventured deeper and deeper, past all parts of the dungeon I've ever been to; and into a part that I didn't think was used in recent history. Eventually I began to hear laughter as I approached the cell that held Lannister.

"Is it time to eat finally?" He asked as I approached. When I got into view, he smiled and me and laughed. "The princess has graced me with her presence? This must be special; may I see your wings?"

"Shut it Lannister." I retorted. "You're lucky to be alive after all you've done."

"And what have I done?" He asked sarcastically. "Turn you into a monster? Brainwash your friends? Kill your precious boyfriend?"

"Marco's not my boyfriend, and he's not dead ... you monster." I began. "And now that you mention it, how to I free my friends from your control?"

"Control?" He asked. He then slammed his face against the bars with a creepy smile. "You mean the formula? Has poor daddy not told you what it does yet? It doesn't give me control over people, it rewrites them."

"To serve you, I've heard." I replied.

He shook his head. "No no no, that would be too easy. I don't have control over them because I am them."

My eyes went wide as I took a few steps back. "What are you saying?"

He slammed his hands against the bars and continued to smile. "Let's say for argument sake, Lannister did have control over them, what happens when Lannister gets captured? They would be mindless and useless. But if they were Lannister, then they would think like Lannister, and act like Lannister, and lead like Lannister." He backed up a little and looked at his hands. "Am I the real Lannister?" He slammed his face and hands against the bars and smiled creepily. "I CAN'T TELL ANYMORE!"

I blasted him against the far side of the cell and began to take a deep breath. "Enough of your insanity! I want to know how to reverse it!"

He took a deep breath, got up, and fixed his hair so it wasn't as disheveled. "Right, right, you'll have to forgive me, that was one of my … less stable moments." He walked over to me, calmly, and gave a normal smile. "Of course I'm the original; I have the ability to manifest fire."

"I don't care!" I hissed as I pointed my wand at him. "How do I reverse what you did?"

"You can't go back Star, only forward."

I raised my wand and glared. "NARWHAL-"

"Okay! Okay!" He pleaded. "If you want to change them back, you have to use the formula on them again; only have it set to change them to them."

"And how do I do that?" I asked; my wand still pointed at him.

"Add their DNA to it." He replied. "As for the formula itself, don't ask me because I don't have a photographic memory."

"I'll just have to find it." I replied. "And take in all your clones while I'm at it."

"Shouldn't be too hard, I mean that formula was imperfect, I still had a few kinks to work out, my newest one though." He shook his head. "It would have made you so beautiful, a perfect version of me." I blasted him against the far side of the cell, then began to walk away. "Have a nice day." He called out. "Or is it night? I really can't tell down here."

I continued until I exited the dungeon where I found my parents looking for me. "Star!" My mom exclaimed. "What were you doing down there?"

"Getting back at Lannister." I replied. "I wanted to knock him around a few times, but he's just enjoying it."

"You shouldn't have been down there at all!" My father retorted.

I really wasn't in the mood for this argument, so I decided to just let it slide. "You know what, you're right; I shouldn't have gone down there. It was a risk, a long shot, and a waste of time, when I could have simply sent a guard to do it instead." Both of my parents looked at me with wide eyes that I finally took responsibility for something which actually made me feel good; so I decided to continue. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my room and practice my spells." I began to walk away leaving my parents speechless.

"Wait." My mother began. I turned around to look at them, trying not to look too pleased with myself. "Star … we've been talking about you returning to Earth."

"And let me guess, you've decided against it?" I asked.

My mom looked at my dad, obviously wanting him to answer. "Well, we thought it best if you decide if you want to stay here or return to Earth."

"Really?" I asked, pretending to be surprised. "Why let me decide when you already know what I would choose?"

"Well the primary danger on Earth has been taken care of." My father began. "There shouldn't be any more serious threats, but if you do decide to return to Earth, and there is another incident like before; then we'll be sending you to St. Olga's."

I was confused at what my father was planning, clearly he knew, or thought he knew, more than I did about the situation that he wasn't telling me; but he was still leaving the choice up to me. "I think that's fair, I'd like to return to Earth. I bet Mathew's worried sick, and I still need to find Marco to thank him."

"As you wish." My mother began. "We'll get a portal ready as soon as we can."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was on my way to lunch, by myself, feeling like my life had suddenly come to an end; Sure, I knew Star would try and force her way back, but that just meant that her parents would find out, catch her, then cart her away to St. Olga's, if they haven't already. I had picked up my lunch and was about to make my way to my table when I ended up bumping into Mathew. "Hey, Marco." He began. "Turns out I've been misled, you haven't disappeared after all."

"Nope." I replied. "I just didn't want to talk to Star after she saw me fight Lannister."

"I'll take it then that you aren't too keen on seeing Star any time soon?" He asked as he walked with me.

"Not looking forward to it, but it's only a matter of time until she runs away from the castle and gets here."

"True." He paused, then let out a sigh. "Look Marco, I know you still probably don't trust me, but I need your help to clean up the mess my brother left behind."

I stopped and turned to look at him. "What do you have in mind, exactly?" I asked.

"Would you care to come with me so we could discuss it?" He asked.

"Why the secrecy? It's not like Alfonzo and Ferguson are going to go and foil your plans."

Mathew rubbed his eyebrows then ran his fingers through his short brown hair. "Marco, we're allies, but we're not friends, and we're not going to be friends until I know I can trust you."

"You don't trust me?" I asked. "You're less trustworthy than I am."

Mathew glared at me. "Sure I may have kept an otherworldly power from her, but I wasn't the one who called her father on her, instead of simply talking to her."

"Speaking of which." I began.

"I want to talk about mine as much as you want to talk about yours. And so long as Star is out of danger, it will stay that way."

I paused then sighed. "Fine, but I'm telling Marcus."

"He will help as well." Mathew replied. "Follow me."

We walked to a table a fair distance away from anyone else. Mathew took his seat and I took a seat across from him. "So what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Mainly the people who got away." He replied. "Three of Roy's body guards who, according to you, were affected by Lannister's serum."

"Yeah, so they're under his control." I replied.

"Oh, that's not what's happening." Mathew began. "From what we can tell, it doesn't just make them your slave, it transforms them into whoever's DNA was added to the concoction."

I looked at him, shocked, as I dropped my fork. "You're kidding … so we have three Lannister's out there?"

"It's not perfected yet … at least I hope it's not. The version he used on Rebeca and my other followers was severely incomplete and they broke down. As for those three, the serum might have been further along, but it should still take time for it to fully take hold."

"So we are dealing with three Lannisters." I said as I rested the side of my head on my palm. "I'm going to assume that you don't have any leads yet."

"Not yet." He replied. "They only escaped yesterday."

I sighed. "I'm going to talk with King Butterfly, maybe the other two woke up and I can talk with them."

Mathew laughed. "Good luck with that."

"Why's that?"

"You'll find out." He took a bite of his mashed potatoes. "I'll inform you when something else important comes up."

"I'll do the same." I replied as I stood up. "Catch you on the flip side."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(After school)

I was walking in the front door, exhausted from the past three days, and all I wanted to do right now was talk to King Butterfly and rest. As I entered the living room I was greeted by my mom, who was coming out of the kitchen. "Welcome home Marco, did you have a good day at school?"

"It was okay." I replied as I walked to the stairs. "I just need to use Star's mirror, then I'm going to take a long nap."

"Oh about that." My mom replied as she followed me.

"I know it's not mine, but I need to talk with King Butterfly about something important." I said as I continued walking.

"It's not about that, it's about Star." My mom pleaded as she followed me.

"I said I was sorry." I began. "I know what I did was wrong, but I wasn't sure how else to handle it."

"It's not that." She said as I reached Star's door.

"Then what is it?" I asked as I twisted the doorknob.

Before she could answer, I opened the door and saw Star sitting on her bed, wearing her sky blue dress, her arms stretched out. When the door was fully opened, she looked over and froze as she noticed me. "Star came back." My mom finished. There was an awkward silence until my mom started backing away. "I'm just going to leave you two alone for a moment, I have to check on dinner."

* * *

**I had this ready to post this morning but then procrastination struck, sorry about that. Anyway, in case you can't tell, you're in for a real treat next chapter and for more reasons than what you think is going to happen. I really want to tell you all how it goes but … OH, I can't wait till I post the next chapter this December.**

**UPDATE: September, September! Not December!**

**R&amp;R**


	48. Chapter 48

**Seriously? I told you all I was going to pull a FNAF and I even explained what I mean by that and still no one was able to tell that I was lying when I said that I was going to release my next chapter in September? Well, I guess I wasn't that obvious, but I am behind on my chapters so I need to work fast and get the next chapter out … some time before the end of time? Sorry, I just need to get working so let me get to the reviews.**

**Watermalone: It's always a good thing when someone starts writing … unless they write coochie coochie coo … then I turn away and lose faith in humanity. Also, don't read that story.**

**MasterTigress4444: Why thank you.**

**PFTones3482: It might … it might.**

**BrokenElite: I will continue to hang this story from a cliff until it no longer pleases me.**

**Finnjr63: Well duh, I can't have Star and Marco snuggling for the next few chapters.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Or maybe less than friends?**

**thewookie1: Allow me to explain, it doesn't actually turn you into them, it uses magic to turn your mind into theirs, their memories, their abilities, nearly everything about them, save for the biological functions of course, that stays the same.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Unless someone busts in and prevents them from talking.**

**AccurateAviator: The update was a moot point seeing as I was lying anyway.**

**Secret Sauze: Cool.**

**H. Mae: Thing is … King Butterfly knows more than he's letting on … but that's all I'll say for now. But as for Mathew … well … I don't really have much to say about that.**

**aliyaperez101: I would never put this story on hiatus that long without good reason but I understand.**

**arael205: Tension is a go.**

**WhateverYouWant: It will be worth the wait, you just watch.**

**Guest: If it was September then no, it would not have been the first.**

**Guest: Well I bet your surprised seeing as it's coming out BEFORE SEPTEMBER!**

**ClaireBear: Do you honestly think I'm going to have them confess their feelings for each other before the last chapter? … well … actually that does make sense because, even if I do have it at the very end of the story (which I might or might not), I'm still including a bonus chapter after so … yeah … carry on.**

**Gb: Well it's time for 49! … actually it's time to wait for 49 but that didn't rhyme … sorry.**

**Un-nAmed: Thank you, it means a lot to me.**

**Snowdrop: I've been there … actually, I'm still there.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was standing in the doorway as we stared at one another, in shock. "Star." I said softly. "You came back?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, then leered at me. "Don't act all surprised Marco." She hissed.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I took a step into the room.

"Where did you go?" She demanded as she stood up. "Right after I arrived on Mewni, my father went back looking for you; but he said you weren't there."

"How was I supposed to know that you'd come back?" I asked. "I was under the assumption that no one would-"

"So you think I don't care." She said as she turned away.

"That's not it at all!" I exclaimed as I walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder while giving her a concerned look. "Star … I … I wasn't ready."

She turned to look at me, confused. "Ready for what?"

I let out a sigh and bit my lower lip. "The truth."

Her eyes went wide. "The truth?" She asked.

"Ever since this started, we've been keeping all sorts of secrets from each other. Both of us have been treating the other like an enemy and its hurt more than its helped."

She looked away slightly. "I … guess you have a point." She sat down and pats the space next to her.

I sat down next to her and there was an awkward silence. "So … who goes first?" I asked.

"You can start with Monster Arm." She replied. "Saying I was shocked would be an understatement."

"I guess that is the best place to start." I replied as I looked away. "Let's see … I think it's been … three weeks since I first heard him talk to me again … I remember, you were complaining about not being able to find a spell that you could use while fighting."

"Well, then why didn't you tell me?"

"What would you have done?" I asked as I looked at her.

"I would have removed him!"

"HOW?" I snapped. Star just sat there, motionless, as she looked around for an answer. "That's what I figured, you wouldn't know how to get rid of him, meaning that the only option would be to talk with your parents; but they would send you straight to St. Olga's for something like this."

"You think I would have just abandoned you?" She asked. "I would never have done that, even if I would have gotten sent away. I would have done anything to help and you should know that."

"I do know that." I replied as I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "Which is the reason I didn't tell you."

She tilted her head in confusion. "I … don't understand."

"I don't want you to be taken away." I explained. "Or rather … Monster Arm didn't seem threatening enough to risk that."

"You remember what he did?" Star asked.

"Yeah." I replied as I looked in front of me. "And I would rather have his voice in my head, than live without you." I shut my eyes tight. "I … I'm sorry I went to your father. I should have told you the second I was attacked by Roy's men. I should have dragged Roy's sorry husk right to you when I took him down. I should have …" Tears began to escape my eyes. "I should have been a better friend."

I opened my eyes as I felt her arms wrap around me; her head nestled itself on my shoulder. "Don't say that." She began. "It was my fault for not warning you in the first place, I guess I should have known that you would always be in danger so long as I'm your friend."

"You know I'm perfectly fine with that." I replied as I wrapped an arm around her.

"My turn." She said as she began to nuzzle my shoulder. "My parents said that if one more serious event happens then they'll send me to St. Olga's."

"I'm not going to let that happen." I said as I pulled her closer.

"I don't need a hero Marco." She stated as she nuzzled my shoulder again.

"Do I need to be a hero to protect something precious to me?" I asked as I wrapped my other arm around her; holding her tight and pulling her close.

"Nope." She replied peacefully. "Just don't take more power from Monster Arm, I don't want to end up losing you because of it."

"I'll do my best." I said as I looked down at her and admired how peaceful she looked. "Hey, Star, can I ask you something?"

"Ask away." She replied, as if in a dream.

"Why did your kiss paralyze me?"

Her eyes shot open and she sat upright, forcing me to let go of her. "Well … thing is …" She gave a nervous laugh. "All Mewniin princesses have a … well … when they kiss someone it … kinda transfers magic into them creating bliss in the person they're kissing."

"I got that." I replied. "Why does it paralyze?"

"It doesn't do that normally." She defended. "It's just supposed to be so amazing that a hero would risk their life just for one. It's why some people in fairytales take risks that normally take ten or twenty men. It's a form of self-preservation."

"And the paralysis?" I asked again, getting a little annoyed.

She smiled guiltily and scratched the back of her head. "Well, when a princess goes through Mewberty, the magic in their kiss is altered somewhat; to sooth mussels to the point where they can't move, kinda like a muscle relaxant."

"But 'why'?" I asked again putting emphasis on the 'why.'

She looked away slightly and began speaking from the side of her mouth. "It so that their pray doesn't struggle during the matting process."

I froze as I stared at her. "Matting process?" I asked, a little nervous.

"Yeah." She replied weekly. "Actually causing someone to be paralyzed is something that I could normally do when I got older, but it also happens during Mewberty."

I eased up and laughed. "Then I guess I'm just the unlucky guy who stumbled into your nest when you were ready to go hunting."

"Yeah." Star said as she scratched the back of her head. "Um … we didn't …"

"Lannister shot tranquilizers into you just before you were going to pull me off the wall." I reassured.

"Oh, that's a relief." She said with a sigh. "I mean … not that there's anything wrong with you … just-"

"I know." I said as I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Friends?" I asked.

She smiled very weakly and nodded. "Friends."

"All right then, we should probably get going. Dinner should be ready by now; my parents are probably wondering what we're up to." I stood up and offered a hand to Star. She took it and I helped her up and we walked to the door. When I opened it however, I was shocked when my parents fell to the floor holding empty water glasses.

"Ah, Marco, Star." My father said as he got to his feet. "What an … unexpected surprise."

I stared at them for a moment as I tried not to believe what I was assuming. "Were you two … spying on us?"

"Heavens no." My mom replied. "We were just … on our way to the kitchen to set up dinner."

Both of them ran to the stairs as Star and I stood there, surprised. "This has got to be the most embarrassing moment of my entire life."

* * *

(No one's POV)

The Asset walking into the empty room and looked at the blank mirror with a sense of pleasure. "Master, I trust you've heard?"

The three eyed demon, known as Tom, appeared in the mirror and looked at his minion, who stood before him. "Yes, I know what happened, it's a shame but it looks like Lannister's plan went south."

"That means we focus on Marco then?"

"Don't count me out just yet!" A man in a white cloak announced as he walked into the room. "This was only a setback, nothing I can't work around."

"Nice to see you again, Lannister." The Asset greeted. "How did you manage to escape from Mewni?"

"You say that like they actually had me captured, best part is, they don't even know I'm free."

"But Star is going to catch on to your plan." The Asset noted. "What do you plan to do then?"

"I've almost perfected the formula, I just need to find a test subject." Lannister looked over to The Asset with a smile. "Any volunteers?"

"Find them somewhere else." The Asset retorted. "Also, you plan requires Star to NEVER catch on, so how do you plan to accomplish that?"

"It's not difficult. If I can manage to take care of the current setbacks, then I should be all right to perfect the formula."

"Pointless." Tom interjected. "You should focus on the task at hand, yes the formula was promising, but at this point it would only be useful in a situation which I would like to avoid altogether."

Lannister looked at Tom, with wide eyes. "But Master, I need it to maintain stability, if I don't then-"

"If you can't remain stable long enough to be an optimal candidate, then you'll serve to further Marco's candidacy." Tom turned away. "He's already fairly advanced." He said with contempt.

"But I can still make it if I have time!" Lannister pleaded.

"You're lucky that I gave you that formula to begin with. If this goes south and King Butterfly finds out that the underworld had a copy of that formula; I'll be in trouble with more than just Mewni."

"But I'm so close." Lannister pleaded. "Please, it will only take a few more days."

"Do you understand your position?" Tom asked. "You are asking me to wait for something, when I can have so much more in a few days!"

"But then you will never have your revenge!" Lannister pleaded.

Tom thought about it for a moment before sighing. "Revenge before pleasure, of course, but if you fail, don't expect ANY more chances."

Lannister looked at Tom for a moment before bowing. "As you wish … Master."

Tom turned to The Asset. "Will Star and Marco remain separated for a few more days?"

"They will stay that way until they take down Lannister's remaining forces." The Asset turned to Lannister. "Are you okay with that?"

"More than okay." He replied. "I don't care about them at all."

"Then it's settled." Tom interjected. "Lannister, you have until Saturday. Then you will have no more chances."

"Yes Master." Lannister walked out of the room, leaving Tom and The Asset alone.

Tom turned to The Asset, with a concerned look. "Keep an eye on him … his mental state may break before he's ready."

"And if that happens?" The Asset asked. A vile manifested in front of The Asset, containing a strange substance. "This is the formula." The Asset said as it took it. "Whose persona is in it?"

"No one's." Tom replied.

The Asset looked up at Tom before nodding. "I understand, I will not fail."

* * *

**And that is the end of the chapter, now to work on *Looks at list* head cannon 12? You mean I'm not done with that yet? … oh … that's … not good *rushes out door***

**R&amp;R**


	49. Chapter 49

**Okay, first off I'm a little sorry that this took so long but as those you keep track of me on tumbler already know, I was partaking in Starcoweek last week and had to get a new prompt finished every day so I didn't have time to work on this story. Seriously, people have been asking me left and right where I was with this and why I didn't update but I did update another one of my stories last week and finished a prompt almost every day for the past week (I didn't partake in day 3 and day 6 was late). If you want to see them but are afraid of going to tumbler then don't fret, after I finish with work I will consider posting them on . Now I need to get to the reviews before I'm late for breakfast.**

**MasterTigress4444: Thank you.**

**Watermalone: You will find out for sure at some point but that's all I can promise you.**

**PFTones3482: It took me a while but here's the next chapter as asked.**

**BrokenElite: Well my predictions are wrong all the time as well so don't feel bad.**

**H. Mae: There are a few bumps, you'll see one in the next chapter but with all that I've done that's not actually a spoiler (troll face), and Stella? Yeah there might be something up with her but then again, there might not be.**

**thewookie1: Yes but watching a drunk man try to walk is funny for a time.**

**Finnjr63: As of yet they don't even know he's out there.**

**SVTFOEfanatic: Maybe … but maybe not.**

**JollyPayton: Don't fret, they might have their moment.**

**Snow-Rain-Sunshine: Thank you for pointing that out, I think I managed to change it when you mentioned it so thank you.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I had a really good comment that I gave you but I erased it because I wanted to use it in the story at some point, but you are right.**

**arael205: They won't be going anywhere any time soon but what about The Asset?**

**Secret Sauze: It's rated 'T' no one's going to be having children any time soon.**

**twin4444: What do you mean 'everyone is so skillfully theorizing what will happen next' I haven't mentioned any correct theories and sometimes even I don't know what's going to happen in the story.**

**aliyaperez101: Really? That makes me happy.**

**TrG5flshqckslvr: I don't know why but … that sounds so dirty for some reason.**

**Golden boomer: Well I do have a great explanation for that but it's so amazing I'm not going to tell you until it's reveal time, and yes, Tom is the bad guy.**

**Gb: I've put in some romantic moments … just … not many.**

**Golden boomers: You are forgetting something; he is also insane, very insane.**

**yes or no: I pick … BOTH!**

**Angelcervantes: Wait, wait, wait, STOP EVERYTHING! Are you actually giving me permission to write that? I mean that is an excellent story idea and I would love to write it but are you sure you don't want to do it yourself? Because if not then I will take it and add it to the top of my list.**

**tyrekem576: Last week was Starcoweek.**

**hobos 4evr: ?**

**Fangirlicus: This one is kinda set up for events … which might be filler, it was already written when you asked.**

**troll face: I have not been trolled yet.**

**infered5: I don't plan on stopping any time soon.**

**starco4evah: There's conflict between them, that something, right? Also I'm used to having multiple characters achieve romance to keep my readers entertained but I only have one and a half relationships to work with here so … there's that.**

**Guest: **

**Guest: Last week was Starcoweek and I was busy with it.**

**im impatient: Cut me some slack, it was Starcoweek and I had to write like there was no tomorrow.**

**Artista321: Glad to have you on board.**

**Snowdrop: Thank you, I'll use more.**

**Guest: IT WAS STARCOWEEK! I HAD TO PARTAKE!**

**reviews if mad: Starcoweek will now be my response to anyone who is impatient.**

**Madness: Starcoweek**

**Guest: Starcoweek**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

Stella, Star, and I had just entered the school and were on our way to first period. Things felt like they were finally getting back to normal, but I felt that the worst was yet to come. "It kinda feels strange to be back in school after what happened." Star noted as we walked down the hall.

"It does kinda feel strange." Stella added. "I just wish I could remember what happened."

"I all ready told you what happened." I replied.

"No, you told me what Marcus told you, which I'm fairly sure you heard incorrectly, because I don't think I would go crazy and attack my friends." She retorted.

"You were in restraints when I saw you in the infirmary." Star added.

Stella smiled and shook her head. "I still can't believe it; I need to hear what Marcus has to say."

I shrugged and we made our way to Marcus's locker; he had his locker open so he wasn't able to see us coming. Probably a good thing, seeing as he would probably run for his life the second he saw Stella. "Hey Marcus." Star announced as we approached.

"Star?" Marcus asked as he closed his locker. "When did you … Stella!?" Marcus asked as he took a few steps back. "You're … you're …" Bagel, who up until this point was chewing on Marcus's pant leg, let go and began to growl at Stella. "No rematch, NO REMATCH!"

"What are you on about?" Stella asked.

Marcus paused and Bagel stopped growling. "You attacked me last Saturday at the theater when I came to help you … not that you needed it, but you still attacked me."

"No way." She replied.

"Yeah, I barely managed to beat you before you choked me."

"Well that's even less believable." She added. "There's no way you could have ever beaten me."

"Um … yeah, we did." Marcus replied as he motioned to Bagel. "Now could you tell me why you attacked us?"

"I still don't remember doing it, at all." She replied.

Marcus began taking a few steps back. "Then please forgive me if I keep my distance."

"You're not going anywhere." Stella said as she walked closer to him.

"I think I'll take my leave now." Marcus ran off with Bagel following close behind.

"I said you're not going anywhere!" Stella shouted as she ran after him.

Star and I watched as Stella and Marcus ran off to who knows where. "You think he'll be okay?" I asked.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Star replied.

As we began walking again, I heard what sounded like someone running towards us. I turned around to see who it was and noticed a number of people I did not recognize. "STAR!" One of them exclaimed as they reached to us.

"You're okay!" another said as she threw her hands up.

"Oh my god! Star came back!" Another guy shouted as he ran up and threw his arms around her.

Star gently pushed the guy off, and more began to show up. "Easy, easy." She said as more of her followers began greeting her. "Marco, I'm going to be a while, can you tell the teacher that I'm going to be late for first period?"

"We still have five minutes." I replied.

"It's going to be a while." She answered.

I sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll see you in class." I began to walk away and when I looked back she was completely surrounded by her followers. "I don't think she'll even make it to first period." I said as I continued walking.

"That's a possibility." I heard a familiar voice say.

I let out a sigh then looked to my side to see Janna walking along beside me, a smug smile on her face. "What do you want?" I asked a little annoyed.

"Can't I say hi?" She asked. "I heard that you locked up two of the cult leaders and made peace with the third, so what else is there for me to get you?"

I could tell by her smile that she knew that there was still work to be done, and was most likely going to make me pay through the nose to get it. "You wouldn't be mentioning this unless you all ready knew that I needed help."

"Oh Marco, what happened to that formal attitude you had last Friday?" She asked as she shot me a coy smile.

I let out a sigh. "I … I was upset with Star back then … We've since made up … kinda."

Her smile turned into an obviously fake frown. "Oh, does that mean you love her instead of me?" She paused then shot me a seductive smile. "I didn't know you were such a player Marco."

I rolled my eyes. "Janna, we weren't dating ... and I don't love Star. Now what do you know and what do you want?"

"But it was a date Marco." She replied. "And I don't think you're being honest about Star. Tell me honestly, are you cheating on me?

"Just because it was a date, doesn't mean we're dating Janna." I stated as I tried to end the conversation.

"But do you love Star?" She asked. "I need to know if our relationship is going to go anywhere."

I sighed, then stopped and turned to Janna. "What if I told you that I would put my very soul on the line to keep her safe?" Her eyes went wide and I smiled. "What if I told you that I care about her so much that she occupies my every waking thought. That her mere presence makes me feel like the day was going to be a good day even if I lost a limb. That she is so bright that the sun could go out and her presence would allow life to continue?"

She looked at me, shocked, before slowly bursting into laughter. "Okay, now I know your exaggerating."

"You must be a detective." I replied. "If you're so smart then why don't you tell me what I feel for Star?"

"I think you want to have kids with her." She replied coyly.

"Can we skip this now?" I asked.

She gave a playful sigh. "Fine, I just so happen to know a little about a … smith of some sort who doesn't really like Star all that much."

"Paul." I replied, as I leered to the side.

"Oh man, you even know his name, now I have nothing to tell you."

"Be serious Janna." I replied.

She smiled playfully. "All right … I may have a few things to tell you about him."

I let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, what do you know?"

"I know that I'm not going to just give this information to you for free." She replied playfully.

"Really?" I asked annoyed. "If I fail, then Star might die you know."

"I have confidence that you'll say yes, no matter what I ask for." She replied.

"I refuse to confirm or deny that." I replied. "But what do you want?"

"You know the dance this Saturday?" She asked, bringing a confused look to my face.

"As a matter of fact I do not." I replied. This was honestly my first time hearing of this, to be quite honest, I didn't even know that there was a dance at any point in the immediate future.

"Really?" She asked. "You mean you don't know about the annual Blue Moon Dance?"

"No, I did not." I replied. "And I'm guessing you want me to take you?"

"Kinda." She replied. "It's girls choice, so you can't really ask me."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "They still have things like that? What if-"

"It's more tradition than a hard and fast rule." She replied. "That being said, if you agree to go, as my date, then I'll tell you everything I know about Paul."

I sighed and nodded. "Fine … I'll do it."

"Glad to hear it." She replied.

Before I could ask anything else then bell rang; signaling the start of first period. "Damn, I'm late." I turned to Janna. "Look, we'll talk more about this at lunch, okay?"

"Sure." She replied.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(At lunch)

I was in the lunchroom, searching for Mathew; although he did save me, he still had some explaining to do. Eventually I found him sitting with a few of the other members at the table where we were talking, the last time I spoke with him. As I approached, my followers who had a view of me stared in amazement while Mathew and a few others took a moment before realizing what they were looking at. "Star?" Mathew asked as he turned his head.

I sat across from him and smiled. "You still have a little bit of explaining to do Mathew."

"Oh yes, please, where would you like me to start?" He asked eagerly.

"Let's start with your brother Lannister." I began. "More specifically, why didn't you tell me he was your brother?"

He sighed and some of my followers began to glare at him. "We share birth parents, along with some double helices … other than that, we sometimes see each other on the holidays but that's rare."

"Oh." I began. "So … your parents are-"

"Yeah." He interrupted. "Not something I like talking about."

"I'm sorry for asking."

"Don't be." He said as he shook his head. "I should have told you in the first place."

I looked down at my plate of food before asking my second question. "And … the powers?"

He looked away and exhaled. "I … don't know much about that, sadly. The truth of the matter is I woke up one day with them and eventually I found out that it was because Roy and Lannister made a deal with something and the contract included me."

"So you owe something that gave you power to control fire?" I asked, surprised.

"If what I was told was true, the power was reworded upon the completion of the contract, my brother wouldn't tell me what it was that was required, I never actually bothered to ask."

"And Lannister and Roy are the ones who are contained." I replied. "Kind of ironic."

"You could say that." Mathew replied.

"So what's up with finding the silver?" I asked.

"Ryan and Kevin are looking into it, from what I can tell, they've found a sizable amount that has yet to be sterilized."

"That's good to know." I replied. I paused as I began to contemplate what my next move would be. "I … I need to talk to Marco … the last time I kept him out of the loop, it ended poorly."

"Would you like us to accompany you?" One of my other followers asked.

"I'll be fine, thank you." I began as I stood up. "Marco and I are on much better terms than we were before." I waved goodbye to them and made my way over to my friends' table where I saw, Marcus, Stella, Alfonzo, and Ferguson. Before I could get there however, Mathew ran up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"There is … one more thing you should know about, there has been talk about finding another leader to replace the void left by Roy and Lannister, ideally someone with better interests in mind but still."

"That could end poorly." I replied.

"It's only talk for now, nothing serious. No one can even think of a worthy candidate so there's a possibility it might get swept under the rug."

"Alright, keep me informed."

He nodded then walked back to his table and I continued to my table.

"Hi guys." I greeted.

"Star?" Ferguson asked surprised. "Wow! You really did come back!" He shouted as he threw his hands into the air.

"Yeah, well, I got lucky." I sat down next to Marcus. "Hey, has anyone seen Marco?"

"If you're looking to ask him to the dance this Saturday, don't get your hopes up." Stella replied.

"Wait, what dance?" I asked as I turned to her.

"You haven't heard of the Blue Moon Dance?" Alfonzo asked.

"Can't say I have." I replied. "But why shouldn't I get my hopes up about asking Marco?"

"Because he's going with Janna." Stella answered. "He's talking to her about it right now."

"Oh." I said, as my head fell. "Yeah … he's dating her now, isn't he?"

There was a moment of awkward silence before Stella cleared her throat. "So, Marcus, I don't suppose someone asked you to the dance yet."

"I've gotten three requests already." Marcus replied causing all of us to look at him, surprised. "What? I'm trained, and I have a permit to use fireworks, I'm not as unpopular as I appear."

I smiled then looked back to my tray. "That's more than I've gotten, I guess I'm not as-"

"It's girl's choice Star." Ferguson clarified.

"Oh." I replied as I looked up . "Well … I guess that-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Stella interrupted. "But back to my question for Marcus, have you accepted any of those invitations yet?"

Marcus paused for a moment. "Wasn't really interested in going with any of them … didn't know two of them and the other was Britney."

"So would you be willing to go with me?" She asked.

There was another awkward silence as Ferguson just went back to eating. "Stella?" Marcus asked. "I know you the least out of every one of us here … not to mention that the only time we spent together was when you tried to kill me …so my question is … why?"

She shrugged. "Well, I can't ask Marco because he's already taken, and even if he wasn't Star would kill me if I took him to the dance."

"HEY!" I exclaimed. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone that I was in love with Marco!"

Stella turned to me with a 'really?' look. "Okay, first, I said I wouldn't tell Marco, and second, I didn't say anything about it."

I froze as I realized what I had just confessed. "Oh … crap."

"Old news to me." Ferguson noted.

"Don't lie." Alfonzo replied. "And you now owe me ten bucks."

Ferguson looked at Alfonzo, annoyed. "That wasn't the bet bro."

"Anyway." She continued as she turned to Marcus. "Seeing as you are runner up, I thought I'd ask."

"I'm second place to Marco ... again?" Marcus asked with fake joy. "Man, I can't believe how lucky I am!"

"So is that a no?" She asked.

Marcus shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do, just so long as you don't try to kill me again."

"Wait a minute." I replied. "So … if Marco is going with Janna … and Marcus is going with Stella … then who am I going to go with?" There was an awkward silence as everyone avoided eye contact with me. "Well that's swell." I said sarcastically.

* * *

**That took longer than I thought it would, now for breakfast.**

**R&amp;R**


	50. Chapter 50

**Okay, so confession time, first, last chapter I forgot to remove the lines my beta leaves when correcting things for me so … all those underlined words were because of that. Second, I am late for updating because I am going through a few things ATM that aren't serious but … annoying, point is, I need a break from chapters for a while, or I need a break from making them as fast as I used to. For those of you who follow me on tumbler I will still be posting headcannons and I will still work on my chapters but for the time being I will not be posting. Now on to the reviews, oh and before I do, BY GOD, THERE ARE SO MANY! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**BrokenElite: A blue moon is the second full moon of the month, it rarely happens but it does happen from time to time.**

**Finnjr63: You mean Marcus and Stella? I will leave that as a surprise.**

**thewookie1: There on my tumbler page (Axis2400) but in order to make people happy I may just post them here.**

**H. Mae: I can't wait to reveal what happened to Stella, I only wish I could show it. Oh, she's going to go, it wouldn't be that important of a date if she didn't.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you, I will.**

**MasterTigress4444: Thank you.**

**CCParker66: Well … it's not that obvious … Marcus … does kinda have a thing for Star, yes, but there's more to it than that.**

**Gb: Yeah, they were enjoyable. That's kinda the point. Yes, yes it does. That was a mistake on my part, don't read too much into them.**

**starco 4 evah: The plans I have for that are amazing.**

**troll face: Well I wouldn't say so, you can't measure trolling on a scale like that, you have to trust in your inner troll.**

**hobos 4 evr: I don't even … I'm a little tired right now and I … don't even know how to respond to this one, sorry friend.**

**i agree: Actually I think … wait a second … how could you possibly know all that? I didn't even moderate those reviews by the time I got yours. Seriously, how did you know that?**

**Guest: Yes.**

**information guy: I didn't? Oh, I didn't, sorry about that, well I don't think Starco will be confirmed … matter of fact, I will be upset if they get together tonight because there is a second season and it's nice that their still building their friendship.**

**MegaRocker101: It would.**

**Qruis: Well I can give you more but don't pull an all nighter in this chapter.**

**Beatbox309: If I don't promise an update then I post them when I feel like it, I know it sounds mean but it takes time and motivation to write these chapters and motivation is … getting hard to come by.**

**Guest: Don't worry, things will turn out alright in the end … wait a minute … actually I'm not so sure about that.**

**Qw: She loves Marco and knows more than she's letting on, it wasn't much to work with so I'm sorry.**

**Zachson: Don't make me choose.**

**mr face: You must channel your inner troll**

**Watermalone: Thank you and good luck to you.**

**ShadowHunter: You will have to find out for yourself.**

**JW TS: I try my best and I'm not sure if I get to name a ship between two of my characters.**

**Illuminati: I know right?**

**BACON MAN: No, that's just a coincidence.**

**TheTheorizer: That would be funny but I already have a prediction that involves Marco getting killed.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(After school)

The moment school was over; I made my exit and left for the steel mill, where Stella told me the smith was hiding. I didn't want to get Star involved in this, on account of him using sterilized silver as his main choice of weapon material. As I was leaving the school grounds however, I heard a voice that made me a little uneasy. "Marco!" Mathew called out as he ran up to me. "Where are you off to?"

"It's not important." I replied as I continued walking.

"So then you and Star haven't made amends like she said?" I stopped walking as he mentioned Star's name. "From what she told us, you two no longer keep secrets from each other, or … were you just pretending?"

I took a breath and shut my eyes. Sure, I was going to tell Star about Paul as soon as I got the chance, but I wanted to have enough time to take him down; so Star wouldn't have to worry about him. "That's a good point." I replied. "In truth, I was going to tell Star the next chance I got … and seeing as you're here, can you do me the favor and relay the message?"

Mathew leered at me. "Sure thing, what is it?"

I smiled as Mathew's discomfort. "I found out where the assassin is currently hiding."

Mathew's expression went from annoyed to surprised. "Paul? The same guy who tried to kill Star? Right in front of everyone?"

"The one and only." I began with a smile. "He might not be there for much longer though, so I didn't think I would have had time to inform Star about it. Also, I know she's not going to listen, but can you tell her to stay clear, just for now? He probably has a bunch of sterilized silver; so Star's magic won't work on him." I let out a laugh. "But that's really a formality, Star would rush in even if she had two broken legs. He does have a broken arm though, so it's not like he's that big of a threat, right?"

"Right." Mathew replied slowly. "Um … do you think I can tag along?"

I hid a small smile, knowing what Mathew was thinking. "Why is that?"

"Well … he did try to kill Star in front of me; and that is a major insult that I simply can't let stand."

"But who's going to tell Star?" I asked as I continued to hold back a smile.

Mathew looked around guiltily. "Well … like you said, this is time sensitive and with a broken arm, Paul would be at his weakest. I don't think we will get another opportunity like this one. You can tell her when you get home, so we don't have the luxury to tell her, at this moment."

I let out a small laugh. "You make a convincing argument." I paused, for a moment, to pretend to think. "Fine, we'll go through with 'your' idea."

Mathew walked up to me and we began walking. "So where is the demon hiding?"

"At the same mill where I fought Roy for the second time." I answered.

"I have no idea where that is." Mathew replied.

"Just follow me, and be ready, desperate people are often the most dangerous."

"You speak from experience I suppose." He began. "You can be rather dangerous when desperate. You would also make a great cult leader."

I stopped then turned to look at him. "Why did you say that?" I asked. "Why has every cult leader said that to me?"

"Because it's true Marco." He replied as he walked past me. "I dare say you care about Star more than Roy or my brother."

"But not more than you?" I asked with a leer.

He looked back at me with a smile. "Maybe … I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked as I started walking again.

"You'll find out my friend."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

Mathew and I had entered the complex and had began to look around. "Not much has changed from the last time I was here." I began.

"You can say that again." Mathew said as he began looking. "This place looks like the oldest building in town."

"It just might be." I said as I began cracking my knuckles. After I cracked them three times, I felt Monster Arm's power begin to flow through me.

"Are you trying to channel your patron?" Mathew asked.

"Why do you ask?" I replied.

"Because it's pointless to keep it a secret at this point." Mathew replied as he began searching an office. "I mean Star knows, I know-"

"And the list ends there." I replied. "The king doesn't know, neither do any of my other friends." I looked into a side room and found it empty of anything important.

"Why is that? You think the king will let you marry his daughter after he finds out that you have a monster in you?"

I stopped and did a double take. "What the … marry her?"

"You still playing dumb?" He asked. "You clearly have feelings for her, why else would you just forgive everything she's done to you?"

"I forgave her because she's my best friend!" I retorted.

"You best friends?" He asked as he walked over to me. "I know how she put you in danger and how she lied to you, yet the second she was stabbed, you tossed Rebeca a good five feet and cradled Star like a baby."

"Um, yeah, because she's my best friend and I thought she was dying!" I answered, starting to get a little annoyed.

"I'll give you that, but consider this ... I was closer to her, me, the leader of the portion of the cult that wants nothing more than Star's well being and yet, you still beat me to her, what does that tell you?"

I shot him a leer. "It tells me that you don't care about Star as much as you would like to make people believe."

His eyes went wide as his mouth opened slightly, then he shot me a leer. "Oh, that is a low blow Marco."

I laughed a little. "The only thing I regret is that I can't get any lower than the truth."

He pulled out his swords and pointed one at me. "You want to test me?" He asked. "I'll show you just how much I care for Star."

I shook my head with a smile. "We already tested that Mathew, and I won."

He swung his sword and it caught fire. "Then let's tip your score, you're one for one with fighting cult leaders, how about we make it one for two."

"How about two for one?" I asked as my arm began to transform. Just as we were about to charge each other, we were both sent flying by something that I hadn't seen. I crashed into a wall, before falling to the ground and Mathew crashed into one of the upper catwalks before plummeting to the ground.

"What the heck?" I asked as I got up.

"No idea." Mathew replied.

I looked around the room and found nothing. Then, just as I took a step out, something nailed me in the chest causing me to go flying. "What the heck is going on?" I asked as I looked around only to see nothing there.

"It must be invisible!" Mathew said as he began to hop down, only to stop in the air with a concerned look on his face. He was then smashed against the ground creating a small crater.

"MATHEW!" I exclaimed as I ran over to him. As I ran something tripped me then slammed into my back causing me to hit the floor with a hard thud.

I worked my way to my feet just as Mathew made his way over to me. "We should put our battle on hold for the time being." He stated.

"I like that plan." I replied. "Please tell me that it also involves a way to see this guy." I said as Mathew and I stood back to back.

"Sorry." Mathew began. "I don't have anything for that."

I laughed. "Too bad we don't have any paint."

"Wouldn't help" Mathew noted as he examined the surroundings. "If this was simple camouflage we would still see a shadow. It must be using magic to hide itself."

I was about to curse when Monster Arm began to speak. "If it's magic, then I may be able to help."

"Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed.

Mathew turned to me slightly. "Well I'm sorry but I can't think of anything-"

"Not you." I replied. "Monster Arm has been holding out on me."

"Not really." Monster Arm replied. "I can give you special monster eyes that would be able to see magic."

"Then what are you waiting for? A signed invitation!" I exclaimed.

"I can give them to you but it's not the same as the arm, or the strength; this won't be able to be undone!" Monster Arm exclaimed, causing me to pause. Before I could fully contemplate what Monster Arm said, Mathew and I were knocked to opposite sides of the room.

"Damn it." I said as I got up. "Monster Arm, explain what you mean by can't be undone?"

"I can make new eyes for you, but I won't be able to unmake them, once you have them they will be with you forever."

I watched as whatever this creature was tackled Mathew and held him to the ground. Mathew ignited a blast of fire that collided with the creature sending it flying. "We will die here if I don't, and Star will never forgive me for not telling her about this."

"So this is for Star, again?" Monster Arm asked. "So be it then, this will take me some time; so be careful."

"Don't worry about me." I replied. "I'm not dying until Star is safe."

* * *

**You know, I'm kinda regretting revealing Tom as the antagonist but I have enough planed that his reveal doesn't really tell you much about his plan. Now to post my Starcoweek fics here so that you can all enjoy that while I work on my next chapter.**

**R&amp;R**


	51. Chapter 51

**I know it's been a while but I'm working through my problems and hopefully I should be able to get back to a normal update schedule soon … whatever that is. Anyway, let's not keep you any longer than I already have and get to the reviews, there are many to get through.**

**Finnjr63: Yeah, this story really got complicated; hopefully I can clean it up a little.**

**H. Mae: Well the main reason I regret revealing Tom was because I wanted to make it dramatic and … I didn't want people to know when the thing that is going down is going down, I wanted to have it as a surprise and when it happens Tom is like, 'surprise, it was me all along!' but not in that exact way. Now that I think about it though, it probably best that I revealed him.**

**MasterTigress4444: I've already written the fight but I don't think I'm going to put it in a future chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Beatbox309: Well I can't say if it's the best but the only realistic? I can think of at least one other fic that's great.**

**aliyaperez101: Thank you.**

**Gb: That implies that you trusted him at one point.**

**i agree: Okay.**

**Qw: I do know about Cartoon Network and I do (or did) have a story planed for a show (or two) on that network.**

**starco 4 evah: Well … what has he really done?**

**Zachson: Thank you.**

**deadshoot12345: Roy has been out of the picture for some time, do you mean Tom?**

**EVAunit42: Well you will have to wait and see.**

**JollyPayton: I liked it, and when is taking Monster eyes ever a good idea?**

**PureWishes02: Welcome back.**

**Watermalone: Thank you, I'm doing my best.**

**Allyn772: I want to know which picture your looking at but I feel like there are too many to narrow it down.**

**SoMa YEAH: I've gotten that before with one of my other OC's, I don't know what it is that I am doing right with them but I hope I can continue doing it when I use OC's.**

**troll face: Yes.**

**Snowdrop: Hi.**

**hobos 4 evr: Um … why?**

**mr. face: I don't mind the trolling so much, they have fun then I have fun so long as no one is hurt.**

**Mr: Well I lost count as well.**

**troll face: Thunder Dome was better than Furry Road.**

**Oswin Beifong: You know … the fact that a lot of people are finishing this so fast makes me think that my chapters aren't as long as I think they are.**

**i stay 12 4evr: Thank you.**

**Guest: Job searching, you wont be able to get why it's so frustrating until your older.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I began to feel a burning pain underneath my eyes, forcing me to the ground. Damn … I didn't expect it to hurt so much." As I was grasping my face, I felt something hit me in the stomach, sending me flying.

"MARCO!" Mathew called as he ran over to me.

"I'm fine." I said as I made it to my knees. When I opened my eyes I saw Mathew looking at me the same way one would look at a monster. He looked a little different, like I could see something flowing inside of him, there was also something about my eyes that felt different, almost like they were trying to merge an image with something else; and something else about them felt … weird. "What are you-" Before I could finish my sentence, I began to see a glowing creature right behind him, it was about twice the size of us and looked like a rabbit with claws. Just as it was about to pounce, I pushed Mathew to the side and transformed my arm into a tentacle. Just as the beast was upon me, I wrapped my arm around it and began squeezing it; causing it to thrash like an animal in a trap. "Not so tough now, are you?" I asked before throwing it against a wall causing its glow to fade, making it visible. I walked over to it as it tried to stand. "Is that it? One hit and you're done?"

I heard a crash, and looked over to see another pinning Mathew to the ground; only this time it had his arms restrained. I ran over to him as fast as I could and when the creature saw me coming for it, it leapt off of Mathew and began making a run for it. It ran into one of the side rooms where I found it scratching violently on a wall. "Well well well, looks like you've run into a dead end." I said as I walked closer to it. It began scratching more violently, causing it's claws to break. "Not very strong, are you?" I threw a punch with my tentacle, slamming it into the wall causing it to stop glowing. I began walking over to it as my arm transformed back to normal and smiled at it as it looked up at me in fear. "Time to end this."

"MARCO!" I heard Mathew exclaim as he ran up to me. "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of this monster." I replied.

"Monster?" He asked. "Marco, think about this one for a moment, think about its characteristics, if you're as smart as I think you are, you should know that this fight was over the second you were able to see them."

I looked back at the rabbit creature before me and began to take it in. It didn't use it's claws to attack us and as a matter of fact, they were fragile, the same could be said about their bodies, one hit and they were out of the fight. However the most important bit of information was their ability to turn invisible in the first place. "These are scavengers." I replied. "They turn invisible to sneak into the dens of predators and take the scraps that have been tossed aside."

"Or take on smaller pray that they think they can handle." Mathew added.

"No, these guys are frail, there's no way they would fight unless they had to." I looked closer at the quivering creature before me. "They must have been starving … only reason they'd rush into a fight they only have a slim chance of winning."

"But why use them as a last line of defense?"

"You don't." I replied. "You use them to stall if you use them for anything at all." I ran out of the room and began checking various rooms.

"What are you doing?" Mathew asked as he followed me.

"These things aren't native to earth, there's no way they could have just wandered in here."

"I know." Mathew replied. "Someone must have brought them here but why?"

"To distract us." I answered.

"I know that, but why send these?" He asked again. "If he sent these, then he must have known we'd come here, and if he sent these; then why not send something more intimidating? Seems like a waste of an opportunity."

"Unless he had nothing more to send …" My eyes went wide and I paused. "Or … if he didn't want to end us."

"Why wouldn't he want to end us?" Mathew asked.

I shook my head. "I have no idea … maybe ... we'll have to find out more, when we capture him."

I continued looking while Mathew went to the rabbit creatures and opened a portal to, what I assumed was their home dimension. After a short time looking around, I looked in the main office and found a large mound of silver; but when I looked at it, I could see something pulsing inside of it like a heartbeat. "What on Earth is that?" I asked.

"It's silver." Monster Arm answered.

"I can see that." I replied. "Paul must have been here and had to leave without this." I began looking around the room but found no other trace of Paul. "Damn." I exclaimed.

"Any luck." Mathew asked as he entered the room.

"He was here." I replied as I walked over to the large mound of silver. "He must have known we were coming, and made a break for it."

"And leave the silver behind?" He asked.

"He has a broken arm, there's only so much he can carry." I said as I continued to be mesmerized by the pulsating silver.

"He still may have left something else behind … I'll contact Ryan and Kevin, tell them to collect this and see if Paul left anything we over looked."

"Yeah." I said as I continued to look at the silver. "What on Earth did he do to it though?"

"Hm?" Mathew asked.

"The silver … it's … pulsating."

Mathew looked at the silver, then back at me. "It looks like normal silver to me … but then again, I'm not the guy with four eyes."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not funny you know, I'm not even wearing my glasses right now."

He slowly turned his head to look at me. "You're … kidding … right?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, a little concerned.

He didn't respond; he only looked at me like I had just said something incredibly stupid. It was then I reached up and felt my face, what I felt sent a chill down my spine. Below my eyes, I felt what I could only assume were a second pair of eyes. I instantly pulled out my phone and looked at my reflection and sure enough, I saw them. There were two narrow black wedges that went from the side of my face and stopped right before reaching my nose and inside each of those black wedges was an eye. "No." I said softly.

"I tried to warn you." Monster Arm replied.

"Why did you make two new eyes?" I asked. "I thought you were going to simply replace my normal ones?"

"I'm not a high demon Marco; I can't give you eyes that can see light and magic." He explained.

I closed my normal eyes and sure enough, everything went dark, save for trace magic in the air. I then opened my normal eyes and closed my demon eyes and everything looked like it was before. "This isn't good." I stated.

"It could be worse." Mathew stated as he walked up to me. "Not to mention that we might be dead if you didn't."

"From scavengers?" I asked as I turned to look at him. "If only I had known then-"

"You can't judge with hindsight Marco." Mathew explained as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Not to mention it's not like it's the end of the world."

I began to panic as I paced. "This isn't good, my parents are going to kill me, Star's going to kill me, I am so going to die."

"You're over reacting." Mathew replied. "You can't even tell that they're there when you have them closed."

I turned to leer at him. "Yeah, like the black lines are normal."

"You can cover that up, not to mention that we should focus on what's more important."

I threw my hands into the air, about to snap, but caught myself and sighed as I turned away. "Yeah … we need to find out where he went."

"You leave that to me." Mathew replied. "This isn't really your problem anyway."

"Excuse me?" I asked as I turned back to face him. "How exactly is this not my problem?"

"I think the better question would be; how is this your problem?" He asked. "Sure, she's your best friend; but you know that she can handle herself in almost any situation. As for those instances that might give her trouble, like this one, she has me and my guild."

"Cult." I hissed.

"Anyway." He began as he ignored my response. "You don't have to help with this."

"I do have to help." I replied.

"Why?" He asked. "You should know better, Star doesn't need assistance."

"I know that!" I spat.

"Then why are you doing this?" He asked. "Why are you giving up your freedom and humanity to help her?"

"I'm not giving up my-" I stopped then reached up and touched my second set of eyes. "That … was an accident."

"Really?" He asked. He placed his palm over his right eye and began to laugh. "You're giving yourself up to a monster Marco, and for what? To protect Star? How long before you become the threat?"

"I can handle it." I replied.

"But why do you feel like you have to?" He asked. "Star would cry a lot more at your funeral than at mine, you could stay out of this and everything might still get resolved; and you don't run the risk of getting taken over by a monster."

I glanced away as I began contemplating what he was saying. "I can't … do nothing."

"But what is your reason?" He asked. "There is a reason for everything Marco, what's your reason for risking your humanity?" I tried to answer him; but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. As I continued to try and find an answer, he laughed then covered his eye with his palm again. "Look, it's just something to think about, don't stress yourself out over it." He began walking out of the room only to stop when he got to the door. "If we find something we'll contact you, get some rest." And with that, he walked away leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I began making my way out as I contemplated his question. "My reason? Well … I want to protect Star, isn't that a good enough reason." I shook my head. "No, she hates it when I try and protect her … so why am I doing this for her?"

I sighed and pulled out my phone to look at my reflection. "And what is it costing me? Star can take care of herself, right? I mean it's not like she ever needed me around … I'm never really helpful to her … so why am I trying to help her when she doesn't need it?" I put my cellphone away, pulled up my hood, and began walking home.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I made it home without anyone noticing the streaks under my eyes and I had lucked out seeing as my parents weren't home either. "She's going to be furious." I said as I walked up the stairs. "If I don't tell her though, she'll be even more furious."

I resigned myself to my fate and walked to Star's door and slowly raised my hand to knock on it. "Who's there?" I heard her ask.

"It's Marco." I replied weakly. "I wanted to-" Before I could finish, the door flew open and Star threw her arms around me.

"Where on Earth did you disappear to?" She asked as she held me.

"I was about to tell you, if you let me finish." I said as I hugged her back.

She let go of me and backed up. "Sorry about … what's with the stripes?"

I rolled my eyes. "Once again, I was about to tell you, if you let me finish."

She took my wrist, pulled me over to her bed, sat down, and then motioned for me to also take a seat. "All right then, tell me about it."

I sighed and sat next to her. "All right … I … found out where Paul was hiding."

"The assassin?" She asked. "Where is he?"

"Well, he was at an old steel mill, but he's not there anymore." I answered.

"You went there alone?!" She exclaimed.

"No." I replied instantly. "Mathew tagged along."

She began to look upset. "Well why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't find you." I replied. "I figured that he wouldn't stay put for too long and I didn't want to waste this opportunity. I did want to take you with me, but … I couldn't find you in time."

"Really?" She asked none too convinced.

"Really." I replied. "It was pointless though, seeing as he left before we got there."

"And what about the marks?" She demanded.

I sighed and looked away. "I … we were attacked … he had two monsters waiting for us and … we weren't able to take them."

Her eyes went wide as her mouth dropped open slightly. "Marco … what happened?"

I shook my head. "They had the ability to turn invisible, we didn't even know that we were being attacked by two until … I was able to see them."

"You didn't." She began. "Marco, tell me you didn't ask Monster Arm for more power."

I sighed. "I could, but I promised to stop lying to you."

I felt a sharp sting as she slapped me across the face. "Why?!" She demanded. "Marco, I told you not to take any more than you all ready have!"

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked. "Mathew and I might be dead right now if I didn't … I had to."

Star sighed. "What did he give you exactly?"

I sighed and looked away slightly. "He gave me eyes."

She grabbed my cheeks and tilted my head so that she was staring into my eyes. "Open them."

I was shocked at her request. "Say what?"

"Let me see your eyes Marco."

"There not like normal eyes." I replied. "I can only see magic with them and-"

"LET ME SEE THEM!" She demanded.

I bit my lower lip and slowly opened them, when I saw her however they opened wide at the sight of her, or rather, what I saw. There was so much magic emanating from her that it completely overshadowed what my normal eyes saw. She looked so pure that she made tap water look tainted as oil, like an angle that had actually come down from heaven to grace me with her presence. "Star." I managed to squeak out.

"Marco?" She asked. "Why are you drooling?"

I blinked twice then snapped my second eyes shut and wiped my jaw. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to … I didn't expect what I saw."

She sighed and turned away. "This is my fault, if I hadn't come along then you wouldn't be in danger from tentacle demons, insane cultists, evil monsters-"

"Stop it right there!" I interrupted. "I don't know what destiny mumbo-jumbo caused us to meet, but becoming your friend was a choice Star, and it was my choice. I don't regret anything that's happened because of it and I don't want you wishing that we never meet just because you don't want to see me in danger."

"But this cult is my responsibility and I don't want you getting involved." She began. "I know I should have told you to begin with, and I appreciate all you've done to help me with it, but … I want you to stop getting involved with them."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and look her in the eye. "I can't do that Star, I've come so far I can't just stop now, Paul is still out there, along with Roy's three bodyguards." I looked down. "Or should I say three Lannisters?"

"You let me handle them, I've dealt with one, I can deal with three wannabes."

"You can't just ask me to-"

She placed a finger on my lips. "If you must, then take care of Paul, at least against him you won't be tempted to ask Monster Arm for help."

I let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine, but just promise me that if you need my help you'll ask."

She wrapped an arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder, causing my heart to speed up. "Only if you promise me the same thing."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "All right, I promise."

* * *

(Star's POV)

We had gotten up and were about to make our way downstairs for dinner, when I remembered something important. "Oh, Marco, I need to borrow your phone for a moment."

"My phone?" Marco asked as he turned around.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Mathew about something involving those infected with Lannister's formula."

He shrugged then pulled out his phone and handed it to me. "Tell him I said 'hi'."

"Can do." I said as I took the phone. Marco left to go downstairs and I waited for him to be a good distance away before shutting the door and calling Mathew.

After a few rings I heard Mathew pick up. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hi Mathew, it's Star."

"Princess?" He asked ecstatically. "I didn't expect … I mean, to what do I owe the honor?"

I smiled at his nervousness. "Well, are you aware that Marco is hunting Paul?"

"I am." He replied. "I was even with him when we went after him earlier. Paul left before we could find him, but we were able to track down a large amount of silver."

"Yeah, Marco told me a little something about it, but that's … not the exact reason I called."

"Then what is it?"

I paused with a sigh. "Could you … find a way to lead Marco on a wild goose chase?"

"Say what?" He asked.

"I don't want Marco fighting Paul, he wants to, but I don't want him in any more danger than he already is. He's already got monster eyes and … I can't help but wonder how long it'll be before Marco let's Monster Arm turn him into a full on monster." I shook my head. "I can't let that happen, but he's determined to fight anyway so … I want to keep him out of danger."

"If it pleases you, consider it done." He replied. "I will do my best but … he does have another source … one that can get more accurate information than I can, so I can't guarantee anything."

"That's fine, I'll see if I can't convince Marcus or Stella to keep an eye on him as well."

"Okay." There was a slight pause. "Um … Star … if I may be so bold to ask … why exactly do you care so much about keeping him out of danger? I mean sure, he's close to you but … he's trained, he has power, he has access to more abilities than I do, by being linked to his patron, he's an asset to you in the field; so why try and keep him off the front lines where he wants to be?"

"Because Monster Arm is a very bad influence on Marco, he might end up controlling him or turning him into a monster."

"True enough but he wants to be in the fight and for whatever reason, he will stop at nothing to help. Trying to keep him away might result in him fighting battles alone and forcing him to rely on more of Monster Arm's power. Even if he only uses what he's tapped into now, then there shouldn't be any risk."

"I don't want him getting hurt because of me either." I added.

"He's in less danger than you are Star."

"I don't care!"

"You're more important than he is to me, to all of us, you're even more important to him than his own life."

"I love him and I will break the very fabric of reality in half before I lose him!" I snapped. I paused as I regained my composure. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"Don't sweat it." He replied. "I'll do my best to keep him safe, but you should know that he will be furious if he finds out, you can't keep him on the side lines forever."

"I know." I replied. "As soon as this is over and things go back to normal ... we'll be able to fight together like we used to."

There was a pause. "As you wish, I will get started on the distraction right away."

"Thank you Mathew." I replied.

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Later)

Paul shifted in his chair as he slowly came to. He found himself in a dark room with only one light and two figures standing in front of him. "Welcome back." One of the figures greeted.

"What happened?" Paul asked.

"Why, I saved you." The figure replied. "Marco was so close to capturing you, but I was kind enough to warn you about his approach; allowing you to get away before he managed to capture you."

"Yeah, that part I remember." He replied. "But after that, it's a little bit of a blur."

The figure knelt down to look Paul in the eye. "Well, the only reason I saved you was because I think I may have a use for you. So I brought you here after I … found you napping in the park."

"I have a hard time believing that." Paul replied. "Who are you anyway? Your voice sounds familiar, but I can't place my finger on it."

The figure laughed as he looked at Paul. "I'm hurt Paul, truly I am, we've met before, and I sure remember you."

"Wait." Paul began. "No, I do remember you … but why are you helping me? How could I possibly help you?"

"I need someone to … take care of a certain … martial artist."

"You mean Marco?" Paul asked. "Sorry, no deal."

"What do you mean?" The figure asked, surprised. "I thought you'd be all for the idea, I mean you hate Star, even to the point where you wanted to kill her."

"Exactly." Paul replied. "Star is a monster; she waves around her power like it's nothing, but has no regard for the people she affects. Marco is a human, even if he does want to protect Star, he's only been brainwashed by her."

"Would it help if I told you that Marco is no longer just a human?"

Paul looked at the figure intrigued. "Go on."

"Star merged Marco with a tentacle monster giving him powers, at first Marco wanted to reject this monster but he's come to accept it."

"Then Marco must also be disposed of, but sadly, I still must refuse."

"Why is that?" The figure asked a little annoyed.

"Because I won't be much good to you with a broken arm, on top of that, Marco beat me once before when I had two good arms so what good would I be?"

A smile crept across the figure's face. "I was hopping you'd ask that." The figure reached behind him and the figure behind him handed him something. He brought it into the light, revealing it to be a syringe with something strange inside. "I have a special concoction, that will not only heal your arm, but also give you the skill to go toe to toe with Marco."

Paul looked at the syringe, then leered at the figure. "Are you saying … this will make it so I can fight Marco?"

"It will give you the skill, but it won't give you his powers. I do however believe that your sterilized silver will more than compensate for that."

"It will." Paul replied. "I think this may be the beginning of a wonderful partnership my friend."

"Please, call me Lannister." Lannister untied Paul's good arm and Paul stretched it out. "This will sting a little."

"Anything to bring the downfall of Star Butterfly." Paul replied with conviction.

"I was hopping you'd say that." Lannister stuck the needle into Paul's arm and injected the substance into his body. In no time at all Paul began thrashing around, like he was on fire. "You will be of more use to me than you know."

After a short time, Paul stopped thrashing and calmed down. "I don't feel anything different." He said as he looked towards the ground.

"Your arm will heal tomorrow … and your skill will begin to come the following day. I recommend you wait one more day, so that it has time to settle."

"I will take that under consideration." He replied. "Now, are you going to untie me?"

Lannister looked at the other figure and nodded; the second figure walked over and cut the ropes holding Paul. Paul slowly stood up and stretched out his neck. "I'm feeling great all ready, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."

"Tomorrow will be here sooner than you expect." Lannister replied. "You should go home and get some sleep."

"I'll do that." Paul said, before walking out of the room.

After Paul was had left, the figure turned to Lannister, who had a smug look on his face. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Whether he wins or loses is irrelevant, what matters is what the formula does to him." Lannister turned to the figure. "But I do hope he wins, having Marco out of the way would really help us."

"So then we wait?" The figure asked.

"To win the game of chess, one must have patience Michel." Lannister replied. "But one must also have pieces on the board, I have but one knight and a bishop. Star has two knights, a castle, a bishop, and an army of pawns."

"We have a few pawns as well Lannister, not to mention that she doesn't know our line up."

"All the same Michel, I'd like to bolster our ranks." He turned to the light and walked towards it. "My five test subjects should be done by now … let us retrieve them and put them to work."

"But two of them are on Mewni, in the King's custody."

Lannister turned to Michel annoyed. "Then you will go to Mewni tonight and retrieve them, before they start talking and ruin my test!"

Michel took a few steps back before nodding. "As you wish Master."

* * *

**I love it when people make theories, now I understand why the finale ended the way it did, Daron Nefcy must also love it when people make theories. I digress, I'm partaking in Weekly Starco Prompts over on tumbler so I need to go and work on that now.**

**R&amp;R**


	52. Chapter 52

**Let me first say that I really REALLY apreceate my beta for not only helping me get my grammar mistakes, but also helping make the story flow better, and for going over the longest chapter to date and going to go over a chapter that's even longer soon. Thank you Sabrina06, this story would not be where it is today without you. Now if you'll excuse me, I like to wash my cleaver before using it *looks over to chapter 53 shivering in the corner* don't worry buddy, you won't feel a thing.**

**Finnjr63: I can't wait to see your reaction when you find out just what everyone has planned … well … I won't see it per say.**

**JollyPayton: You mean for my story? Well I've seen a number of people speculate that the asset is V, W, X, Y, or Z so there's that. If you mean the show then I don't know where you've been looking but theories for that have been coming out of the wood work since moment zero of the season finale.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you, I will.**

**H. Mae: But you have to wonder, is Star making a mistake? Marco is trusting something that tried to destroy him the first time they meet, we don't know what's going to happen … actually, you don't know what's going to happen, I'm laughing because I know what's going to happen.**

**Gb: The extent of his denial is actually so impressive that I had to stop to ask why when I wrote a more recent reaction of his.**

**Mr: I don't think this was a complete review.**

**hobos 4 evr: You just tried to troll me didn't you? That's so sweet.**

**Guest: Well, they could simply be getting conflicting ideas about how to deal with the situation.**

**Laura o mine: We've missed you.**

**troll face: Well I look forward to seeing where that rivalry takes you, oh, who's better? Well the answer to that is simple … but I'm not going to tell you because of something important.**

**deadshoot12345: No need to appoligize.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day after school)

I was leaving the school, along with Mathew and a few of my followers, discussing the progress of cleaning up the mess Lannister left. "Any news on Roy's three body guards that Lannister turned into himself?" I asked.

"Nothing yet." One of my followers replied.

"They simply disappeared into the ether, short of a stroke of blind luck, I don't think we're going to find them before they put their plan into action." Mathew added.

"They have homes and parents who are probably worried about them, have you tried contacting them?" I asked.

Mathew sighed. "Apparently your father has … been in contact with the local authorities. As far as they know, this is a disease from your dimension that takes some time to cure; so there are no missing person reports. On top of that I don't know the address of Roy's body guards; I don't even know their names."

"That's a shame." I replied. "So what of Paul? Any luck finding him?"

"Same story." Another one of my followers began. "We went to where Marco and Mathew found the silver but … all we managed to find was one piece of paper with some symbols on it."

"It was encrypted." Mathew clarified. "One of our people began trying to decipher it but all they could come up with was that each letter used a different cypher, I managed to find out that each letter was, a hint to the next but-"

"English Mathew." I interrupted.

"It will take me a long time, but I managed to find out that it's a list of locations." He clarified. "I deciphered the first one and a few of your followers are going to check it out later today. They're going to clear out any traps, or resistance, they find but leave any findings to make it appear abandoned. I tell Marco about the location after that, and he goes to find an abandoned building and possibly some supplies. He should feel as though he's making a contribution ... without getting into trouble."

"If I may." One of my followers began. "Marco is one of the most able people I know; save for guild leader Mathew and yourself obviously, he even took down Roy and went toe to toe with Lannister, why keep him out of this if he wants to help so badly?"

I sighed, I couldn't tell them about Monster Arm, but thankfully I had a story ready for just such an occasion. "That's the reason I don't want him to help, he's done enough, more than enough, and he's not even a member of the guild, I can't ask him to do any more than he already has."

My followers nodded in understanding, while Mathew looked at me with a slight smile. As we continued walking I heard a loud thud come from behind and before I could check, there was another. When I finally turned around to see what it was, I saw a boy with short blond hair and gray sweatpants and sweat shirt and two of my followers were down on the ground. As I reached for my wand, he took down a third follower. Just before Mathew could spark a flame, or reach for his sword, the mystery boy had nailed him in the ribs and elbowed him in the face, and threw him over his shoulder causing Mathew to crash to the ground. At this point he had his eyes turned on me, but I had my wand out and pointed at him. "Ranbow Blast!" Just as I shouted the last syllable, he knocked my hands upwards causing the blast to go into the sky then before I could react; he covered my nose and mouth with a rag of some form. As I tried to back away he wrapped his other arm around the back of my neck and as I tried to struggle, I lost consciousness.

I awoke later on the floor of some unknown room; a small hole in one of the corners let some sun in. At first glance it looked like a room where you would store fishing items, but it was so old that all that was left were a bunch of shelves and cabinets. As I tried to get up, I found that I was tied up and my wand had been placed on a counter too far away for me to reach. "Damn it." I stated as I realized I was trapped. "I need to get out of here before my dad finds out I've been kidnapped again."

"Star?" I heard someone say as the door opened. I shot a leer as I saw the boy who had attacked my friends and took me captive. "You've finally woken up, I was beginning to worry."

"Shut up!" I spat. "What happened to my friends? Why did you attack us?"

"I'm trying to keep you safe." He replied. "There are a lot of people out there who want to hurt you and I need to protect you."

"I don't need protecting!" I spat.

"Is that so?" He asked as he knelt down to eye level. "If I had pulled out a knife instead of a chloroform rag then we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"

I looked away in disgust, he did have a point but he had a horrible way of proving it. "Why did you kidnap me?" I demanded.

He looked around the room for a moment before answering. "I need to keep you safe." He repeated.

"The only threat to my safety I see ... is you." I retorted. "Marco or Mathew are going to find this place and when they do, may God help you."

"Mathew?" He asked. "How … how could I not find myself?"

I rolled my eyes, I hadn't expected this guy to also be named Mathew; or be so dense as to think I was talking about him. "I mean Mathew Lexington, not you."

"Yeah." He replied. "My name is Mathew Lexington." My eyes went wide as I stared in disbelief, there was no way that this guy was my Mathew and it was highly unlikely that they just so happen to have the same first and last name. "Or rather … I am … Mathew."

"You just said that." I replied.

"No." He said as he looked away. "I … am … Mathew … Lexington?" I let out a sigh of frustration; this guy was clearly nuts which only confused me further as to how he managed to capture me in the first place. "Not … Lannister … but I am." He placed his palm over his right eye and shut both of his eyes tight. "Am I Mathew or Lannister?" He shouted. Just then his hand fell as a smile began to creep across his face. "Oh, that's right." He moved to the side as if compensating for falling until he collided with the wall and began laughing. "I'm a mistake."

"A mistake?" I asked.

He looked at me, with a creepy smile, then began to approach as he continued to brush against the wall. "Little Mathew, so pure, so innocent, surly he should have been enough to restrain the insanity!" He turned away then began to walk as if he had just downed an entire container of Mewni's royal moonshine. "He was so in love with Star, it should have counteracted his obsession."

"Can we stop playing the pronoun game?" I asked.

The lunatic turned to me with his crazed smile. "My insanity Star! Can't you see that you literally drive me crazy?!" He exclaimed as he grasped his right eye again only this time his hand was shaking.

I leered at the man standing before me. "Lannister." I hissed.

"That's right Starflake." I cringed a little at the nickname. "Oh, I had plans for you, but I needed to make myself stable first." He turned away and dropped his hand. "You were what drove me insane … so mixing my personality with someone else's would be the cure, right?" He turned back with anger in his eyes. "But it wasn't that simple! My insanity came from you, I needed someone who has feelings, strong feelings for you, thus when I mixed the personalities, the feelings would overlap and my insanity would be suppressed!"

"That's what you want?" I asked. "That plan is insane."

"No." He said as he got closer. "No, it is sound, it should have worked; but Mathew only loved you." He looked away slightly. "Or maybe it was the ratio … but I digress, I saw the others, I saw myself with my own eyes, I saw how I improved with each test subject." He turned away again. "But I would need another personality, one that had more than just love for you Star."

"Wait a second." I began. "Mathew … loves me?"

His breathing, which was quick and sporadic, began to slow down as his eyes began to clear up. "Who told you that?" He asked as if someone else was now talking.

"Mathew?" I asked. "Look, I don't know what's going on here but … you need to untie me."

"No." He replied. "If you go out there then Lannister will hunt you down."

"Lannister is inside you!" I exclaimed. "You are the danger that you're trying to protect me from!"

He turned away in shock. "No … no, Lannister needs me, he wants to cure his insanity with my personality."

"You are the result of that attempt!" I exclaimed. "Lannister must have … used his formula, using his own personality and Mathew's." I looked away slightly. "Please, you need to free me before you change back!"

"No." He said as his voice changed slightly. "Mathew wasn't viable, and the mixing wasn't right either, but that doesn't matter ... without a viable candidate." His eyes went wide as he brought his face closer to mine, making me shrink back. "But I've been thinking lately, what if I consume you? You are the reason for my insanity; so if I just take you in, then my insanity should be satisfied, right?"

"I don't think I've ever heard a more insane plan in my entire life." I stated as I tried to back away.

"Oh, but it might, I wouldn't like it but I have to try, I don't want to be a failure."

Just then, the door flew off its hinges and Stella came crashing into the room. The guy in front of me turned slightly, but just as he did, Stella whacked him across the head with nunchucks causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. "Are you all right?" Stella asked as she came closer.

"I'll be fine, thank you for saving me."

"You're actually grateful that someone saved you?" Stella asked as she untied me.

I rolled my eyes as I got up. "Let's not do this now."

We both looked over to the man who captured me, who was now on the floor. "I recognize him, he was guarding Roy when Marco lead the attack, and again when they came after me."

"Yeah I figured as much." I replied. "Lannister was experimenting on him … mixing samples of people's DNA. He had two distinct personalities vying for dominance."

"Any idea what he wanted?" Stella asked as she shoved him with her foot.

"He wanted to eat me." I replied slowly. "At least I think that's it … I don't want to think what else he could have meant."

Stella lifted him up and over her shoulder. "Well, he clearly lost his mind some time ago then, Lannister is one insane man, it's no surprise that the unstable copies are even more insane."

"Yeah … I kinda feel sorry for him."

"For Lannister?" Stella asked as she looked at me incredulously. "Why do you feel sorry for that nut job?"

"He wants to cure his insanity." I answered. "Or at least … if what this copy is saying is true, he is."

Stella rolled her eyes then turned to where the door was and began walking. "If only he didn't use humans as test subjects, then maybe his work would be a benefit to society."

"I know." I said as I followed. "I just said I felt sorry for him, not that I condone what he's doing." We got outside and I found that we were in the remains of some mostly burnt down boat house. "By the way, how did you find me?"

"I saw the spell you fired into the sky and thought that I would check it out to see if you needed help, good thing I did because when I got there, this lunatic was hoisting you over his shoulder and your cultists were on the ground."

"How are they by the way?" I asked as I followed her.

"They're fine, I stopped for a moment to talk to Mathew and he said that he'll take care of them."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you again; I don't know what would have happened without you."

"Don't sweat it, just make sure you keep an eye out more often, or at least have someone watch your back."

"I'll think about it, now come on, we need to get him to Mewni so my dad can lock him up until we get our hands on the formula."

Stella paused and bit her lower lip. "Um … Marcus had a pair of dimensional scissors, right?"

I gave her a strange look. "He has the ones that Lannister had, yes. Marco also has a pair that my dad knows about and we have to go home anyway."

"Yeah … I think I'll stop by Marcus's house and … go to Mewni from there … you go and inform Marco of what happened."

I gave her a suspicious look. "Okay … I'll see you at home." I walked away but didn't take my eyes off Stella until she was out of sight. "Now why on Earth wouldn't she want to go home?"

* * *

(Star's POV)

(In Star's room)

"ARE YOU KIDING ME?!" Marco exclaimed, making me realize exactly why Stella didn't want to go home. "Mathew had one job, ONE JOB!"

"It wasn't Mathew's fault Marco." I explained. "He caught all of us off guard."

Marco shook his head in sorrow. "If Stella hadn't been there … I don't even want to think about it."

"Stop worrying Marco!" I exclaimed. "Seriously, have you learned nothing?"

"This kinda contradicts what I've learned, Star." Marco replied. "You were just captured and nearly killed, what am I supposed to make of that?"

"How about you just be happy that I'm alive and leave it at that?" I hissed.

"There are still two more of them out there." Marco replied as he walked over to me. "This isn't over yet."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "All right, I was caught off guard once, I don't intend to let that happen a second time; so why don't you stop worrying?"

"Why won't you let me help you with this?" He asked.

"Because you said that you would deal with Paul, remember?" Marco was struck silent and I took it as an opportunity to continue. "I don't want you to worry about me … one of them got the drop on me, but I can handle a few unstable Lannister-Mathew clones. Not to mention that they are just after me, not after innocent silver that needs protecting." Marco looked away slightly. "You've seen it, haven't you?" Marco bit his lower lip. "You've seen the silver with your monster eyes; you know how special it is."

"It's alive." Marco replied as he touched his lower eyes. "Like … a little magic heart."

"That's why I need you to worry about Paul and not me, I know this seems bad but I can handle myself, I promise you that I won't let them get the drop on me again."

Marco looked at me, concerned. "You're sure that you can do this without me?"

I nodded. "It would be easy, you would only take away what little challenge there is."

"Star." He said as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Promise me … promise me that you can handle this."

I paused for a moment before answering. "I promise you Marco, I can handle this. You just worry about keeping that silver safe." I saw Marco relax a little and I had to fight the urge to pull him into a kiss; instead I pulled him into a hug. "And as soon as you take care of Paul, you can help me with the remaining body guards; if there are any left."

Marco hugged me back and closed his eyes. "He won't be able to run from me forever, I'll find him and drag his unconscious husk right to you."

I smiled. "I know you will Marco, that's why I'm trusting you with it, and don't worry about me, there's only two more body guards to deal with anyway." Just then, my mirror began to ring and I looked over to see that it indicated my dad was calling. I walked over to answer it, but when I saw who it was, I was surprised. "Stella?" I asked.

"Hey guys." Stella replied. "I've got some really bad news."

"Because today couldn't get any worse." Marco said as he rolled his eyes. "Well, let us have it."

Stella was quiet for a moment before answering. "You … remember the two guards they had in custody here?"

"Um … Stella?" Marco began. "A little issue I have with your grammar, you said 'had in custody' when it's supposed to be have in custody' because they're still there." Marco said, a little annoyed.

"Your meaningless attempts at pretending that I don't know what I said make me think that you already understand what I'm about to say."

"Don't tell me they're not there anymore Stella, I've had enough bad news for today."

"They've escaped." Stella finished. "And it gets worse."

"Of course." Marco replied as he facepalmed.

"These guys might not have been in cells, but they were still adequately restrained and still unconscious. Not to mention that there is no sign of them leaving the castle and since then it's been searched from top to bottom and not only have they not been found but-"

"I get it." Marco interrupted. "They had to have help and they've since left Mewni."

"Would you like to tell us what happened Marco?" Stella asked, annoyed.

"What I would like is for everything to finally start to calm down; but it seems like every time we solve one problem another takes its place." He turned away and rubbed his head. "I took down Roy and his assassin takes his place, Star takes down Lannister and test subjects take his place. Will it ever end?"

I hugged Marco's arm and closed my eyes. "It will never end Marco, there will always be something."

Marco sighed. "I know … it's just … I wish it could calm down for just a little while."

"Maybe it will after this is dealt with." I replied.

* * *

**I've been feeling cynical lately and I don't know why. But, I must work on by chapters … look forward to 53 some time soon.**

**R&amp;R**


	53. Chapter 53

**I was planning on having this chapter up yesterday but something got in the way so it's a day late. In other news I've been considering implementing my OC's backstory some more but because he's … and OC, I don't know it I should more than I have. But while I think about it I have something else to say, why is everyone surprised that Star is in love with Marco? Does anyone remember the ending of chapter 21? But I digress, I need to get to the reviews.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: Killing a main character? That's a great idea but it's so unlike me, now one of my OC's on the other hand, now that's another story.**

**Finnjr63: The one known as Mathew is in fact in love with Star and I think I already said that Star loves Marco.**

**JJ: I apologize, this story has in fact, gotten out of hand, I guess I could blame my love of 'one piece' for that but I take the blame for myself.**

**deadshoot12345: Actually 53 is a 'her' and I've done nothing to her or her twin sister 54. I can say the same for their younger siblings, 55 and 56.**

**Sabrina06: It was my pleasure, and thank you for the claymore.**

**JW TS: Well JW ST, This story has passed the half way mark some time ago (thankfully) so you won't have to deal with much more of Marco's suffering … but sadly, his suffering hasn't reached the half way mark.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you again.**

**Exodis: Actually, I'm glad you brought that up, see, thing is, ever since the finale, I've been … hesitant to touch Ludo. I like to keep a sense of continuity with what I write even though I started this around … the first few episodes and now the first season is over. I might still write him in or make a few modifications to earlier chapter (really minor like removing Yvgeny Bulgoyaboff or making the sceen between him and Tom take place somewhere else) but I'm trying not to mess with the cannon.**

**Gb: I know that feeling, I also have a 3DS and I used to use the internet on it until I got my phone.**

**i stay 12 4evr: Your 16.**

**Mt4: What is an F pod? Is that something I should be worried about? … HA! I know what you meant and thank you.**

**starco 4evah: Chapter 21 my friend, chapter 21.**

**Zachson: I'm going to make you all glad that I waited this long to bring them together.**

**hobos 4 evr: Well my trolly friend, your comment made me constipated which prevented me from working on this chapter during my free time yesterday. (But in actuality, it wasn't your comment)**

**mr: A code is pointless unless it is properly encrypted and I can't help but feel that there is a mistake here somewhere because there isn't a word in the English dictionary that is four letters long where the first, third, and fourth letters are all the same. It also can't include slang or acronyms.**

**aliyaperez101: Lannister escaped? When did this happen?**

**H. Mae: Yeah, that one was the most unstable so he was a little … crazy. It was a really powerful spell, Stella wasn't the only student who saw it but Marco wasn't nearby when it happened. Marcus and Bagel? That's actually a good question, I'm not really sure what their up to. You can trust me.**

**Guest: You want them to kiss? Please remember that you said you wanted that.**

**Revewsifconfused: That reason? Oh, it was a really good reason, a reason so good that it prevented me from answering his question it was so important.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

I made it to school with enough time to spare before class started to have a nice little talk with Mathew. "Damn paint." I said as I tried to rub my lower eyes without removing anything; the face paint worked really well, only it was painfully irritating ... even though the package said that it was safe if it got in the eye. "Must be different for magic eyes." I said to myself. I continued walking until I found Mathew alongside Ryan and Kevin. I made my way up to them, rather annoyed. "Mathew!" I exclaimed.

All three of them turned to me, surprised, and Mathew took a few steps back. "Marco!" Mathew exclaimed, trying to be happy. "I thought you would come here and lecture me on the importance of protecting Star."

"You know me so well." I said before grabbing him by the collar and throwing him against the locker. "Are you even capable of protecting her? This is the second time something like this happened under your watch."

"I'm aware of that!" He exclaimed as he brushed himself off. "I'm doing my best, but as it turns out, I'm not very good with our offensive roster."

I sighed and shook my head. "Well get better or find someone who is because you know this is far from over."

"I know that!" He retorted. "As a matter of fact I was just talking about this with Ryan and Kevin, wasn't I?"

Ryan nodded and Kevin turned away. "I was more interested in why Mathew doesn't want to have more men protecting Star." Kevin noted.

"It's not that easy Kevin." Mathew retorted. "I told you, she doesn't like being protected."

"Well then how are you going to keep her safe? They got at her once before and they have two more who are just as strong as Lannister."

"No." I replied. "They were failed test subjects that Lannister used, in an attempt to cure his insanity by combining his personality with Mathew's." I paused for a moment.

Both Ryan and Kevin turned to Mathew as if expecting answers. "Don't look at me, this is my first time hearing about this." Mathew replied.

"Star doesn't think it's dangerous enough to warrant telling people right away." I replied. "She doesn't think anything is dangerous enough, unless it endangers one of her friends." I turned away. "Also, the count isn't two anymore." Both Ryan and Kevin looked at me, surprised. "The two that were held on Mewni; someone broke them out."

Kevin turned to Mathew. "Mathew, you have to … why am I talking to you?" Mathew looked hurt as Kevin turned to me. " Marco, can you convince Star to postpone my parole?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Out of all our members ever, I'm the best fighter; save for the leaders themselves ... and Roy's personal body guards. Mathew clearly wasn't enough to protect Star, so she needs me."

"They got the drop on us!" Mathew retorted.

"But if I was there then it would have bought Star a few extra moments to blast him before he got to her!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Then it doesn't need to be you." I added causing Kevin and Mathew to turn to me, they seemed curious. "If you have all of her traveling companions on alert, and semi-trained then it should be enough to keep her safe; she's stronger than anyone." They all turned to look at me. "You have the alert part taken care of with all the danger that's going on, so all you need are about … two, maybe three others in addition to Mathew and you should be all right, save for an attack from Ludo or Lannister himself." I paused. "Maybe Tom would also be one to worry about, but body guards wouldn't help against him." I paused again. "Actually we're past due for an attack from Ludo, might want to keep an eye out for that."

Both Ryan and Kevin turned to Mathew. "All right." Mathew replied. "I'll … take inventory and see who our best are, now if you'll excuse me." He began trying to walk away/.

"Wait." I said as I walked in front of him. "The main reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask you if you had any more info on Paul, then I got sidetracked; so what do you have?"

He reached into his pocket. "I almost forgot about that." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. "When we investigated the mill we found a sheet of paper that was encrypted, I've been deciphering it and found a few locations." I took the paper and looked it over. "I've made teams for the other locations but I thought that I would give you one as well … just so you have something to do."

I put the paper into my pocket. "Thank you, I'll check it out after school."

"You're welcome." Mathew said before walking away.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Meanwhile)

I was walking through the halls constantly bumping into my followers, who were eager to find out what happened yesterday and if I was all right. I was constantly reassuring them that it was okay, but everyone was still so concerned and although it was sweet, I still found myself trying to avoid them as I made my way through the hall. "Man, they are persistent." I said as I hid behind a corner.

"Or they just really care about you." Someone said from behind me. I slowly turned around to see a guy in a black jacket, gray t-shirt, and gray pants, with long dark hair. "But the real question is … do you care about them?"

I paused for a moment at this guy's question. "Um … yeah? I care about all of them."

"Is that so?" He asked. "You care about all of them? What about Marco? Do you care for him too?"

"He's my best friend, now who are you?" I demanded.

He looked to the side. "He cares about you a great deal … he will of course have to go … maybe the new one will end him, but if they end up killing each other than that would work too."

I raised my wand and pointed it at his face. "I'm going to count to three and if you haven't answered my question then I'm going to blast you." My wand started to glow and I leered. "Who are you?"

He smiled and closed his eyes. "Yes, of course, you've already met me before … well, not me." He said as he motioned to himself. "But … you know me." He said as he motioned outward.

"One." I said as I continued to leer.

"Right, right, more specific, well … I … am … the hybrid."

"Two."

He looked at me, a little worried. "You know … the hybrid? The combination of two different things?" As I inhaled he began to wave his hands in front of him. "No, stop! I'm the result of the combination between Mathew and Lannister's personalities!"

I stopped counting as my eyes went wide. "You … like yesterday?"

"He didn't explain it?" He asked. "Of course not, he was so unstable, didn't even know what was promised to him."

"What was promised to him?" I asked.

"It's a long story and I don't want to talk here, let's meet after school, in the theater, where this all started."

"And if I refuse?" I asked, as I continued to leer.

He smiled. "Then my partner will kill your followers one by one." My eyes went wide as he let out a laugh. "Oh and … come alone." He walked away leaving me speechless and shocked.

Eventually the bell rang and I had to make my way to class. "This can't be happening." I said to myself. "This simply can't be happening."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(After school)

I was on my way to the theater where I was attacked by Lannister; I felt like I was walking into a trap, but I knew what this really was, a surrender. I stood at the door and took a deep breath to gather my courage. "You're doing this for your followers Star, you have to be strong."

I opened the door and made my way inside. There, I saw the punk from earlier, as well as another boy with short blond hair and a gray T-shirt and shorts. "Star!" The punk greeted as he noticed me. "And here I thought you were going to be a no show."

"Drop the formalities." I said as I walked in. "I'm only here to protect my followers."

"You mean you didn't come here to see me?" He asked. "Of course not, you just want to protect as many people as possible."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Not so fast." He said as he held out his arm. "First … the wand." He pointed to a table with a tray on top, near the entrance. "Now don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to touch it, I don't want to be corrupted."

I looked over at the tray and placed my wand in it, then walked over to where he was standing. "All right, what do you want from me?"

He smiled and looked down. "Nothing much Star, you're just a means to an end for now." He placed his hand over his right eye and laughed. "You see, the failed attempt you met yesterday was … well, a failure in every way, but me? I was perfect, a mixture of both personalities, I am my own person."

"From what I heard, Mathew wasn't enough to overcome Lannister's insanity, that makes you a ticking time bomb."

His hand fell and he turned away. "That is true; I feel it growing with every passing second." He turned back to me, an insane smile on his face. "But Lannister found someone who is strong enough, and he already has the perfect concentration after only a few short tests!"

"Get to the point already!" I demanded.

He sighed. "Well, after testing it on the two liberated hybrids, Lannister said that he doesn't need any more test subjects so he's not going to save us. Thing is, he will still need you; so when we deliver you to him, he will cure us and we will be free from madness."

"You're always going to be mad." I said with a leer. I gave him an uppercut to the jaw, causing him to fall back, then took the opportunity to backflip to my wand.

When the punk finally regained his composure I already had my wand pointed at him and he just looked at me dumbfounded. "How-"

"Super Aquatic Hydro blast!" A massive blast of water erupted from my wand, which collided with the punk, sweeping him away until it collided with the far wall leaving him unconscious. I pointed my wand at the other one and he just raised his hands with a smile.

"I surrender!" He pleaded.

I walked towards him with a leer and my wand at the ready. "You threatened my followers, my friends!"

"I did no such thing." He replied. "I wouldn't have done a single thing to any of them."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true." He pleaded. "I'm not like him at all, I really care about you, I actually, dare say, I love you."

"Mathew is the one who's in love with me." I said with a leer. "You're just a cheap imitation."

"No." He replied as he walked forward slowly. "I'm my own person, Star."

"No, you're one of the so called 'Lannister test subjects'."

He laughed. "Well, yes I am, but … there is … something I would like to share."

"All right then, start talking."

He laughed then ran his hand over his right eye. "Well … if my sense of timing is right … Marco is dead."

My eyes went wide as my wand stopped glowing. "Say that again?"

"I said, Marco is DEAD!" He exclaimed. "Lannister's latest test subject has a … bone to pick with him, and by now he's done the deed."

"You don't even know where-"

"He's at the sports field, right now probably getting killed as we speak."

I turned around and ran as fast as I could leaving both of the test subjects behind me. "No." I said as I ran. "Marco you can't die on me!"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Meanwhile)

The rest of the day had been as normal as days go around here; but I kept asking myself the same thing over and over again. "Why on Earth am I doing this?" I asked as I wiped the paint off my eyes. "Sure I want to keep Star safe … but even if she did get captured once, or twice, … should I really be risking so much?"

"Are you having second thoughts?" Monster Arm asked.

"What do you think?" I asked. "You know exactly how little I trust you."

"Only slightly more then you trust Star." He replied.

"I trust Star a lot more than that." I replied.

"Oh really?" He asked. "Then I must have been asleep when you told her what really happened after she left."

"Stop it." I stated.

"No one's going to hear me Marco, or do you yourself not know that you told her father, who did arrive, that she shouldn't return to Earth at all."

"That was before, this is now."

"Right." He said sarcastically. "Now that you know that there are four insane bodyguards, and the assassin is free, and it's more dangerous than when you thought it wasn't dangerous at all."

"Shut up." I retorted.

"How about when you told him about me? How you thought that I would be a threat to her? Even that is more obvious now; but your mind has changed? Tell me, why do you want her to stay here?"

"Because Mewni isn't safe either, at least here her cult will protect her when I'm not around ... for the most part."

"Yet you don't trust Mathew at all, just a few days ago you were going to attack him."

"Star can handle Mathew if something goes wrong." I replied.

"There's something else, isn't there." He noted. "You can't keep everything from me, Marco."

I took a deep breath and leered. "I'm not in love with Star."

"I didn't say-"

"What else are you trying to get at?" I demanded. "Every time you ask me about this, you always think that it somehow involves my feelings for her."

"I'm sharing a bunk in your head Marco, do you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"Why do you want me to be in love with her so badly?" I asked. "Better question, why do you care?"

"Excuse me?"

"Far as I can tell, there are only two things you care about, keeping me alive, which you should because you'll die if I die, and my relationship with Star."

"Well there's not much for me to do aside from-"

"Why, Monster Arm?" I asked. "What is it about Star? Why is she important?"

Monster Arm didn't respond right away. "I live to help you get what you want Marco, to help you get everything you've ever dreamed of."

"I have a hard time believing that." I replied.

I continued until I reached the address that Mathew had given to me, much to my surprise, it wasn't an abandoned office building, but one of those all-in-one sports fields that could be used for anything except hockey, thankfully, for the moment, no one was here. "What on Earth am I supposed to find here?" I asked as I walked past the gate. Aside from the field, all that was here were some bleachers, a concession stand, and some old sheds. When I opened my other eyes I saw that there wasn't much magic going on here either. "Why do I feel like this was a waste of my time?" I asked as I walked around. Before I could moan further, I saw something strange coming from one of the old sheds. As I walked closer, the problem became more apparent. Earth wasn't a magical place, but when I closed my normal eyes I would still be able to make out shapes and whatnot but this shed was so devoid of magic that when I closed my normal eyes it looked as though it were a black hole. "I bet I know what that is." I said as I walked over to the shed. When I got there, I found that the lock had already been cut; which gave me pause for thought. "Someone was already here." I said before opening the door.

"Yet there is still no magic." Monster Arm added. "Whatever is in there, they didn't take it."

"Yeah, but why?" I opened the door and low and behold there it was, a small pile of sterilized silver just sitting there like it was nothing at all. "Why on Earth would someone just leave this here?" I asked as I walked in to take a closer look at it.

"Well isn't that the question of the day." A familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Paul standing there; his hands in his pockets and a strange smile on his face. "So the rumors are true, you have accepted the monster that Star merged with you."

"How did you know that?" I asked with a leer. "And why isn't your arm broken anymore?"

He chuckled. "I have a friend who told me you'd be here, you might actually know him, he goes by Lannister."

I leered as I clenched my fists. "Lannister is in prison on Mewni, there's no way he could have helped you."

He smiled and shrugged. "Yet here I am, good as new, with not a pain in my arm, waiting for you to show up so that I could put an end to the monster that you have turned yourself into."

I smiled as I cracked my knuckles once. "And here I was thinking that I would have to go looking for-"

He interrupted me by swiftly closing the distance between us and elbowing me in the chest. "Not going to let you do that Marco." He said before grabbing my arm and twisting me into an arm bar.

"Monster Arm, I need-" Before I could finish, Paul released my arm then stuck my esophagus with the side of his hand.

"Not going to let you cheat against me Marco." He said before striking my face with the palm of his hand, causing me to recoil. Before I could regain my balance, he nailed me in the chest twice causing my legs to weaken and give out, which resulted in me falling to the ground. As I struggled to get up, Paul kicked me a few times before walking over to the pile of sterilized silver. "Time to end this." He said as he picked up a chunk.

As he walked over to me I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "No." I said softly. I opened my eyes and flipped over just in time to block him from smashing the chunk of silver into my head, catching him off guard. I took this opportunity to pull him down to me, while simultaneously landing an uppercut to his jaw; causing him to fall next to me grasping his jaw. I quickly made my way to my feet, as did he, but he still had one hand on his jaw; giving me a moment to land a punch to his chest.

"I don't need Monster Arm." I said before landing another punch. "I can beat you without his help." I landed another punch and continued. "I'm not Star's body guard." I hit him again. "I'm not her weak friend who she has to rescue all the time." I punched him again, harder. "I'm her partner." I hit him one last time causing him to keel over in pain. "And the only thing keeping me from her, is you."

He got up slowly and quickly tried to get away from me by making his way to the back of the room, only to find he was going the wrong way. "It appears that I need more time for the serum to take effect." He said.

"Serum?" I asked as I made my way over to him. "Interesting, so that's how you learned to fight."

"I just need one more day and I can take you no problem."

"Well I'm not going to give you one more day." I noted as I crossed my arms. "Not to mention that in one more day and you won't be able to kill Star."

He turned to look at me, annoyed. "What do you mean?"

"That serum Lannister gave you, it has some wicked effects and you won't want to kill Star by the time they take full effect." I smiled. "By now they have to have had a sizable effect on you anyway, so I don't think I would categorize you as a threat to Star's life anymore."

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "After I'm done with you I will be able to get to Star and then I will take care of her."

I smiled, getting a sense of joy out of this. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I'm going to make her my girlfriend of course." He paused as he placed his hands on his head. "No … no no no no no, I didn't say that, I don't love her, I want her dead."

I smiled at his confusion. "You're turning into Lannister … or a copy of Lannister fused with Mathew, I can never tell."

"It can't be, why do I love her now?" He closed his eyes tight. "No I don't love her, she's just a friend … no she's not that either, she's an abomination and I want her dead!"

I smiled as I walked closer. "Looks like you don't want to kill her anymore."

"No I don't … damn Lannister, what did he do to me!?"

"He doesn't want Star dead, so he turned you into someone who loves her."

"NO!" He exclaimed. "That's not what happened, it can't be."

"Mathew's influence might make you want to protect Star, but Lannister might take control at any time." I began. "It's best I take you to Mewni."

"My name's not Mathew." He replied. "It's Marc … no … Lannister? NO!" He exclaimed again. "My name is Paul!" He looked up at me and his eyes went wide. "LOOK SOMEONE IS STEALING THE SILVER!" he shouted.

I wasn't going to turn around until I heard a voice from behind me. "Oh shit." It said causing me to turn around to see a boy holding a brown bag.

He ran away and I gave chase, catching up to him and tackling him to the ground before he could even make it to the field. "Who are you and why are you helping Paul!" I demanded.

The boy had short blond hair and looked feeble, almost like if you stuck him with a needle it would kill him. "I'm not helping him anymore!" He pleaded. "I just came for the silver and you two seemed like you were busy so I … didn't want to disturb you."

"You expect me to believe that?" I asked as I grabbed hold of his arm. "You're probably working alongside … Paul." My eyes went wide as I remembered that I had left him by himself while I gave chase." I dragged the boy back to the shed only to find no Paul, and no more silver. "Damn it." I turned back to the boy. "You! I almost had Paul, I could have gone back to fighting alongside Star, but you had to go and distract me; allowing him to escape." I sighed. "At least it's not happening again, Star's going to have a few words to say to you."

"No." He said softly. "No please, you can't bring me to Star!"

"You were working with Paul, what makes you think I'm not going to drag your sorry remains to her?"

"Please!" He begged. "I only meant to right the wrongs I've committed; I don't want to work with Paul anymore!"

I crossed my arms and leered at him. "Start filling in some blanks before I get upset."

"I have a safe house." He explained. "I have a lot of silver there that I got to before Paul had a chance to, some might be sterile but most of it is normal silver that is still full of life!"

I paused as I began to consider. "An entire safe house?" I asked.

"Yes." He pleaded.

I thought to myself for a moment. "Okay, you have my attention … now start explaining before I change my mind."

"I was a smith, I workied with the sterilized silver, along with Paul. I however didn't know it was sterilized at first."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief as I crossed my arms.

"Yes, I didn't know what it was; I was told that it was some kind of rare silver that took a while to melt down."

"That's it?" I asked. "That's the secret behind how to forge weapons with sterile silver? Keep it heated for an extended period of time?"

"Hours more than regular, it was so annoying that Paul eventually told me about how it's made only because it's easier to sterilize it after it's forged."

"I could have told you that." I replied. "So what happened when you found out?"

"I wanted to stop, I thought it was horrible but he said that after all the work I've done, Star would never forgive me."

"That was a lie." I replied. "She would have forgiven you, she still would; but after what you did to help Paul-"

"I didn't!" He pleaded. "I'm just trying to gather as much as possible before Paul."

"Okay, I'll contact Star and she can meet us-"

"NO!" He exclaimed. "Please, she will hate me for being associated with Paul."

"She's forgiving, she'll just give you a task to take care of and-"

"Please!" He pleaded. "I've done more work with it knowing it was sterile than I did prior."

I sighed, I figured that he would never want Star to know what he's done. "Fine, but I still want to see this storage you have."

"Of course." He replied. "I just don't tell Star about me."

"I will keep it a secret, but if I find that you pose a danger to Star then I will tell her everything about you."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A short time later)

I had just made it to the park and had begun to fear the worst. "Marco!" I shouted. I ran onto the field and began looking around. "Marco! Where are you?!" I received no response.

I continued to look around until I saw an old storage shed with the door wide open. I ran over thinking that it might be where they fought, sadly though, no one was in there when I reached it; but I could tell that something was off when I walked in. I walked to the center of the room and knelt down to touch the floor. "There was sterilized silver here not too long ago." I said sensing that the magic had yet to return from this area. "And if Marco isn't here, then he must still be alive."

I ran outside and began looking around, frantically, for any sign of a trail. "Damn it, I won't lose Marco again!" I pointed my wand to the sky. "Heart Tracking Wayfinder!" I shouted. An arrow appeared above my wand and I began following it. "Don't worry Marco, your princess is coming to save you."

* * *

**I was originally going to end it after Marco's POV but I couldn't resist robing him of his self-respect. Now keep an eye pealed for the next chapter, it's going to be coming at some point.**

**R&amp;R**


	54. Chapter 54

**So a lot of people have been asking the same question; where's Marcus? Well let me tell you that at this point in my writing I asked that very same question before any of you and I answered that by making him have an explosive part in the next chapter and that's all I'm telling you. Now to get on with some of those amazing reviews. But first, 710 reviews? Wow, I must have broken some form of record.**

**Bigmike33321: When it does happen just remember, you begged for it.**

**Finnjr63: Paul? In love with Star? Don't make me laugh … well … technically seeing as he is no longer himself but a combination of Lannister and the person who feels for Star just as strongly or stronger and isn't driven insane by it then I guess he is in love with her.**

**H. Mae: There are a lot of twists and turns and I'm trying to wrap it all up in a nice little bow. Star doesn't want to be that kind of princess but she does want to be a heroin … I don't like that word, why can't we just call them all heroes like they are? Why do we need a term to differentiate gender when gender doesn't matter for that kind of profession? A hero is a hero, male or female and I'm getting off track. And I did tell you not to trust me but what's really going to get you thinking is if you should trust what I told you about not trusting me.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Why thank you my friend.**

**MasterTigress4444: Star just cares too much about her little snuggle buddy.**

**PureWishes02: It's always the little things that make a chapter.**

**Gb: I can't wait either.**

**Rayfe: Well Starco is my new OTP.**

**mr. face: In my rush I forgot to give him a steady stream of appearances, my bad.**

**Mr: I'll try later; I don't want to spend all my time on this when I have to update this story.**

**i stay 12 4evr: Well based on your name you have to be older than 12 but you don't have an account yet meaning that you are nervous about it (or something else) making me think that your still a kid. Then again, you could still be older than 18 but I felt that if I was to make a guess then I was to go with my first instinct even though I suspected it was wrong.**

**Guest: I can't not respond to a review and if I did that then the other who isn't as good as the better one would stop trying to troll me.**

**troll face: You don't like anchovies? … HERESY!**

**starco 4evah: Can he teleport or … is there more to him than meets the eye?**

**hobos 4evr: Not a fan of that show really.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

He led me to an old house, rather large for a garage. "So this is where you keep your silver?"

"It's an old house my parents bought, they are planning to renovate. I asked them if I could use it for storage and they gave me the okay."

I cracked my knuckles three times and leered at him. "If you're luring me into a trap-"

"It's not a trap." He replied. "You want me to go first or second?"

"Lead the way." I said as I let him go first.

He walked inside and I followed close behind, he led me into the house, and into the living room, where partial weapons adorned the walls. "This is most of what I had managed to get my hands on. I wish I could say that I got my hands on all of the stuff I crafted but … save for this," He held up the bag with the silver he took from the shed. "I have no sterile silver."

"So all of this is regular silver?" I asked, surprised. "I thought Roy only had three tons of it?"

"He did, but it's all been recovered, I have a lot, but Paul has large amount of unsterilized silver."

I looked at it all for a moment and took it all in. "So … what does Paul plan to do with all of it?"

"Kill Star?" He asked. "Well … he did … until I saw him last."

"Yeah." I replied. "He's still dangerous to her though and I need to capture him."

"With his sterilized silver, you don't stand a chance."

"Says you." I replied. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"You mean your patron?" He asked. "Last I checked, sterile silver inhibits stuff like that."

I turned to him, surprised. "How did you know about my patron?" I asked.

"The eyes." He replied causing me to reach up only to remember that I forgot to cover them.

"Damn it … I'm starting to forget about them."

"Well why worry about them?" He asked. "With all the stuff that's been going on, I don't think many people will find it strange." He walked over and placed his bag near a wall. "Doesn't really matter though; without something to block the effects of sterilized silver, it's useless to you."

I nodded in agreement, it wasn't like I could do anything against Paul if he had even one weapon made from sterile silver but there was one thing he said that caught my attention. "Wait … what do you mean block the effects?"

He shrugged. "Well, sterilized silver will negate magic, but if you were protected by something that had magic that couldn't be negated, then it would prevent the sterilized silver from affecting you."

I thought to myself for a moment, what he said sounded like it would work; but there was one critical problem with it. "Too bad there isn't anything that can block sterilized silver."

He looked at me as if I had just said something incredibly stupid. "Seriously? You don't think there's a single thing that could block it?"

I walked over to him, smiled, and then placed my hands on his shoulders. "Are you telling me that there's a way I can counter Paul's sterilized silver?"

"No, I am not saying that." He replied.

I sighed and looked down for a moment. "Look here … what's your name?"

"Zack."

"Look here Zack, I keep telling you that Star would forgive you for what you've done if you ask; but if you're still worried then I could put in a good word for you and say you helped me take down one of the biggest problems we're currently facing … but I'm not going to lie."

He paused for a moment with his mouth held open, then shook his head. "Well … sterilized silver can't remove magic from normal silver, you need a ritual to do that, so if you are wearing armor made from silver then it will prevent any magic inside you from being negated."

"And that doesn't counter sterilized silver because …"

He leered at me. "Because how will that prevent a spell from being dispersed? Are you going to cover every spell in silver?"

I paused. "Yeah that does sound troublesome but … we were just talking about-"

"AND." He continued. "When silver is sterilized it becomes slightly harder than steel while normal silver is a soft metal, use it as armor in a fight and there is a slim chance that it will last the fight."

I looked down and paused for a moment. "I would only need it for one fight."

He sighed. "For it to be flexible enough to actually use, I would recommend chain or ringmail, on my own it would take me about … a few days at the very least and that would be if I even hade proper equipment."

I looked away. "Should have known it was too good to be true."

"But." Zack began. "Roy commissioned a suit of chain mail for himself a while ago."

"He was wearing it when I fought him, it was already sterilized."

"That was the second version." Zack replied. "The first one was going to be more complete and cover a lot more than just the chest. Sadly, it would be too heavy for him, seeing as he wasn't going to be able to use his patrons strength to lift it."

"So there's another?"

"Yes there is." He walked over to a box and knelt down to before tapping on it. "And I just so happen to have recovered it before Paul."

I walked over to him, skeptical, before pausing. "What's the bad news?"

"It's half built." He said as he opened the box revealing a half suit of chainmail armor and a lot of links. "It wasn't going to be useful, so we never finished putting it together."

I looked at him suspiciously. "We?"

"Back when I was working with Paul, we had a few assistants as well; but now it's only me."

I walked over to the box and ran my fingers through the links. "How long before you can get it together?"

"Two days." He replied. "Maybe less … maybe more."

"Then get on it and I will tell Star how essential you are to taking down Paul."

"After." He interjected causing me to look at him. "Tell her after we've taken him, least that way I can finish this before she ends me."

"She's not going to-"

"I don't care what you think; I want to atone before I face judgment."

I sighed and shook my head. "All right but I will need that armor soon."

He put the lid on the box and picked it up. "All right, just remember, it won't protect you from much other than the sterilized silver's effects and even then, it might not be perfect."

"It's a start." I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down my cell phone number and handed it to him. "Give me a call when it's done."

I walked out of the house and proceeded to walk home. "Man, today's been a long day." I said as I walked. "All I want to do is get home, hug Star, tell her about what happened, work on my homework with her, and go to bed."

"Do you plan to make out with her at some point as well?" Monster Arm asked.

"I'm not in love with her damn it." I retorted. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Stop living in denial and remember what you heard when you looked into the mirror!"

I stopped walking and looked to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"Paul, remember what he said his name was?"

I froze as my eyes went wide. "He said … he was a mixture of Mathew and Lannister, right?"

"That was the previous copy that Star said was a failure, Paul has to be more recent and as a result, is someone new."

"No." I replied. "He … he didn't-"

"He was going to say his name was Marco."

"He never finished, he could have been saying Marcus and we know that he loves Star."

"Then where did he learn to fight? If it was Marcus then why didn't he have fireworks?"

"Because of Lannister, he can fight."

"Lannister didn't use hand to hand; he used fire, not to mention that Paul tried to argue that Star was a friend, something you do all the time."

"Why is this important?!" I demanded. "He was corrupted by Lannister's influence so-"

"This is no longer about your denial Marco, he has your skill and sterilized silver, I won't be of much use to you, you will need an edge."

"The armor that Zack is working on, is my edge."

"If it fails, you will be at a disadvantage, I have something that may help."

"Anything you give me will be countered by his sterilized silver."

"Only the temporary will be countered Marco, I have more permanent gifts that I can offer you."

"You mean like my eyes?" I asked as I opened them. "I have a hard enough time hiding them as it is, I don't need more things to worry about."

"This one can be hidden, or I would not mention it, please, this is your life we're talking about and by extension, my life!"

I sighed, Monster Arm's argument did have some merit; so I decided that I could at least hear him out. "Let's hear what it is this time and don't hide anything from me."

"I can make scales, made from carbon so their density can harden for protection, or soften ... so they can be absorbed into your body."

"And what kind of protection could they offer me?" I asked.

"They will be strong enough to absorb some hits, they will be most effective against slashing. They won't cover your entire body and there will be some space between them. They will be most abundant on your torso, arms, and legs. As for your hands, they will be in small clusters on the back and miniature ones on the back of each finger, the feet will be similar. There will not be many on your face, only appearing on your cheeks and not many at that. Your neck will be most vulnerable, I won't be able to put any there. Your back will be the most protected but don't plan on being a contortionist. In addition, many of your joints will be exposed."

"And you get to control them I presume?"

"No, this would be biological, not magical, otherwise it wouldn't be any help against sterilized silver. You are the one who gets to control them."

I let out a sigh, it sounded cool and if I really could hide them when not using them, then it would be a plus but there was still one problem. "I did promise Star that I wouldn't use any more powers than I already have."

"Think on it, please. They will take six hours to grow in so you can't do this last minute, and you can't hide them while they're growing."

"Fine, I will think on it." Just then, I felt something strange come over me. I looked around, but I quickly noticed that there was a flashing light on my chest. "What the." I placed my hand over it but felt nothing, I then slowly closed my monster eyes and found that it disappeared. "It must be magic." I looked around for the source, but found nothing. Thinking quickly, I ran as fast as I could; hoping that I could get home and get Star to remove whatever was placed on me. As I ran home, I quickly found that the pulsing was becoming stronger and more frequent; which could only mean that whatever was after me was getting closer. "Damn." I said as I rounded a corner. "Looks like I'm going to have to fight."

I turned around and readied myself, but when I did I received a whole different kind of attack then what I expected. "MARCO!" Star shouted as she tackled me to the ground with a hug. "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that you're all right!"

"Star?" I asked, confused as I quickly closed my monster eyes. "Were you the one who put a tracker on me?"

She opened her eyes and got up. "Maybe."

"You did, didn't you?" I asked as I also got up. "Why did you put a tracker on me?"

"To track you down if I lost you." She replied bluntly.

"Okay." I replied. "Um … why didn't you ask me?"

"You would have said no."

"Yeah I would have said no!" I snapped. "You can't just put a tracker on people!"

"I thought you were dead!" She retorted. She closed her eyes and turned around. "I was fighting two of the test subjects and … I almost had them, then one said you were dead."

"You fell for that?" I asked bluntly.

"NO!" She snapped as she turned around. "At first I didn't believe it, but when they knew exactly where you were … I feared the worst and ran as fast as I could. I couldn't find you so … I activated the tracker."

"And left both of them alone?"

She paused for a moment. "I need to go back." She began running and I followed her; I tried to ask her some more questions, but she seemed focused on getting back to the test subjects.

When we arrived at the theater, we found one guy unconscious against the far wall and sopping wet. "Phew, at least he's still here." Star said as she walked over to him. "That's one more down."

I thought back to my encounter with Paul and how he too was exposed to the serum. "Yeah … about that." I began. Star looked over to me, confused. "See … Paul was also exposed to the formula."

Star sighed and rubbed her eyebrows. "I guess that's the person the so called Lannister tested his new formula on. Any idea who the new personality is?"

I looked around the room for a moment. "Um … I don't know." I lied. "But they are really good at hand to hand. I nearly had him beat, until he managed to trick me and run off with all the sterilized silver that was hidden there."

She walked over to me and rubbed my shoulder. "At least you're safe."

"Yeah, about that." I began. "Can we talk about that tracker you placed on me?"

She looked at me, confused. "Why?"

"Because you were trying to keep tabs on me?" I replied. "When did you put it on me?"

She paused for a moment. "Um … after that time you were kidnapped."

I sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be good for my dignity. "Which time?"

"I don't remember." She replied.

I was about to brush it off but I placed a hand over where I saw the tracker last, it was on my chest, around where Marcus stuck the needle a few days ago, meaning that if she was telling the truth then the tracker should be gone by now. "You're lying." I accused. "Star, I thought that we weren't going to keep things like this from each other anymore."

"I'm not lying!" She retorted.

"I haven't been kidnapped since we've found out about the cult, and I've been in battles with sterilized silver a number of times."

"And I'm glad it's still there."

"STAR!" I exclaimed. "When did you 'really' place it on me?"

She sighed and looked away. "When we agreed that you would go after Paul."

"Two days ago?" I asked. "You've … don't you trust that I can handle this myself?"

"It doesn't hurt to be safe!" She spat. "I don't want to lose you Marco, I don't want you involved in this at all; but you insist so … so I just wanted to make sure that I could help you if you needed it."

I sighed, in truth, there was reason for her to worry. I myself wasn't sure if I would be able to take Paul on, especially now that he has all my abilities, as well as Sterilized silver; but I couldn't let Star run head first into danger. "I understand your worry … but you need to remove it."

"What!?"

"Remove the tracker Star, I don't want someone using it to lure you into a trap."

"But-"

"NO!" I interrupted. "I will handle Paul on my own."

"I know but-"

"And if I fail." I continued. "Then I don't want you getting killed trying to rescue me."

"You're too important Marco." She replied. "I'm not going to take even the slightest chance of losing you."

I shook my head. "Well you're more important, Star." She was about to say something but I interrupted her. "And don't even think about saying that I'm more important than the princess of Mewni."

She took a moment before responding. "Fine … how about we compromise?"

I closed my eyes and took a moment before responding. "Fine … what do you have in mind?"

"Bring Stella along with you from now on."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "But she's helping you with Lannister's test subjects."

"I can handle them Marco, not to mention that the sooner you deal with Paul, the sooner both of you can help with the test subjects."

I was about to argue, but I stopped as I realized something; Stella was significantly better than me at straight up fighting and if Paul really did turn into some twisted version of me ... she would be able to handle him no problem. "That's actually a great idea." I replied softly. "Fine then, Stella and I will go after Paul together, but you have to promise me that you will allow Mathew to place bodyguards on you."

"Marco." She replied, annoyed.

"At least three, not counting Marcus or Mathew."

She sighed and shook her head. "Only until you're done with Paul, then the only person I want by my side at all times is you."

"I'm fine with that."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Later)

Paul stormed into the dimly lit room to find a hooded figure sitting at a chess table, along with Michel. "Lannister!" Paul exclaimed. "You have some explaining to do!"

"Do I?" The hooded figure asked. "It seems to me you are getting everything you ever wanted."

Paul slammed his hands on the table. "I never wanted to love Star!" He exclaimed. "I wanted to get rid of her, but these emotions are just … I can't fight her."

"Of course you can't." Lannister said as he got up. "Marco cares about her much more than poor little Mathew, he's feelings easily put my insanity in check in all the test subjects."

"But I don't want to love her!" Paul exclaimed. "Undo this, NOW!"

Lannister shook his head. "Sorry, but I need Star alive; so you can't kill her. You will just have to live with loving her."

Paul flipped over the table, scattering the pieces everywhere. "I'm going to end you."

Lannister smiled under his hood. "Why would you want to do that?"

Paul paused. "I … because of what you turned me into."

"But you've already turned Paul … or … should I call you Marco?"

"I'm not Marco!" He exclaimed. "I fought Marco earlier, I'm not him."

"Well then … too bad for you. From what I heard, Star has quite the crush on Marco."

Paul's eyes went wide. "She … likes him?"

"No." Lannister said as he shook his head. "She is in love with him and from what I can tell, he is in love with her. It's a little funny actually, the second they kiss it will bring about Star's doom."

"Star's … doom?"

"Yes." Lannister said with a nod. "Kill Marco and you save Star."

"I know that." Paul said with a blank stare.

"You do?" Lannister asked with confidence.

"Yes." Paul replied. "Marco … he's a … he is going to die."

"Good." Lannister looked to Michel who pulled out a box and handed it to him. "We managed to secure this when we freed the, it proved useless to Roy but … maybe it can help you."

He looked up, then took the box. "Thanks … this will save me some time."

"Glad to hear it, now you'd better get ready, Marco needs to die before Saturday, or everything is going to go to hell."

Paul leered at Lannister before walking out. "I'll get this taken care of, you just watch." He slammed the door, leaving Lannister and Michel alone.

"You really think he'll be able to handle Marco?" Michel asked.

Lannister shook his head. "I have no idea … but it would be better if I didn't have to deal with Marco as well as Star."

Michel picked up the table and began putting the pieces back on the board. "I believe you were about to have me in checkmate again?"

"Yes, I think that's how we left it."

* * *

**Alright, so I bet you're all wondering when the next chapter will come out and I can tell you that I just need to do some touch ups with the main portion and then I will send it off to my beta. Until then, I will be working on my weekly Starco prompt for this week so don't forget to keep an eye out for that. I will see you all next time.**

**R&amp;R**


	55. Chapter 55

**I bet you're all wondering why it took me so long to update. The answer to that is simple, job searching is annoying and difficult. There's your answer. As for the story, I hope to be done with it soon but tomorrow I need to work on my weekly Starco prompt meaning I need to start and finish it so please be patient with me. Now for the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: Hopefully all these questions, and more, will be answered soon.**

**Your Fellow Thespian: It gives me time to work on my stories without having to worry about continuity too much but I still can't wait, time away does make the heart grow fonder.**

**AccurateAviator: How many have I written? Well by now only this one and the next two but I have all of them planned out.**

**Your Luca: I think I know what you're trying to say and I'm not going to say if you're right or wrong but I can answer your last question, Roy never actually met The Asset as The Asset.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Why thank you, I do my best.**

**H. Mae: I've actually been playing around with ideas for powers that Monster Arm could give Marco and more tentacles did come up but … it didn't seem like Marco's style of fighting would benefit that much from it, sure it would make him more powerful but he would have to change his style of fighting which would be too much of a hassle for what he would gain.**

**Secret Sauze: Think about it this way, this does take place after season one so what happened in the season one finale? Marco got kidnapped and Star was powerless to do anything about it. Both of them blame themselves for what happened, Star because she dragged Marco into things like this, and Marco because he was dragging Star down.**

**Gb: I have a reason for that but I need to wait before telling you because I haven't written it yet.**

**i stay 12 4evr: I wish I could do that but I have student loans.**

**mr. face: Well, there's K, K+, T, and M. If you enter the basic list then it should automatically filter out any M rated stories but it should be the first thing you see when you look at the details below the summery. If for some reason it doesn't filter out the M stories then you can simply change the filter yourself by clicking on the word 'Filters' and changing the rating.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The next day)

I was standing in the lunch line, nervous about what was to come. I wanted to make sure that Marco wouldn't end up fighting Paul again, but even if Stella did go with him, it was unlikely that Marco would just sit on the sidelines. I needed to talk to Stella and convince her to convince Marco to not help her in the fight; but that might be one of the most difficult things I've done thus far. I found her at the end of the lunch line and joined her before anyone else could cut in front of me. "Hey Stella." I greeted.

"Hey Star." She replied. "What brings you to this line for the inedible food?"

I chuckled at her joke. "Well … thing is … I need a favor."

"I know." She stated. "You need me to help Marco take out Paul, he told me this morning."

"I need another favor." I replied. "I … I need you to take out Paul … without Marco."

She did a double take. "Say what?"

"I said, I need you to take out Paul without allowing Marco to fight."

She paused for a moment. "Um … why?"

"Because it's important that Marco not be put in danger, I can't lose him."

She let out a small laugh. "Marco and I can take on Paul without any risk."

I sighed. "I know but … Marco is … there's something … and I … well … he doesn't want to believe it but he's in danger."

Stella quickly looked around to make sure that no one was listening. "Does this involve those little black lines below his eyes that he keeps covered?"

"You know about that?" I asked.

She nodded. "I've seen them in the morning, before he gets to the bathroom. What are they?"

I bit my lower lip and looked away. "I promised Marco I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Then I won't mention it. but I would like to know why I'm not letting him fight with me."

I nodded slightly. "Marco has a patron, we refer to it as Monster Arm."

Her eyes went wide for a moment. "Wait a minute, I've heard about this, you mean that tentacle that Marco used to have?"

I nodded. "It came back … or its consciousness has, and it's been giving Marco strength and special abilities that helped him take down Roy and fight Lannister."

"Didn't it try to kill him?"

"Marco claims that he has it under control, and that it can't give him any power without his permission, but … I'm worried about what he's willing to allow; in order to fight for me."

"Then why send him after Paul to begin with?"

"I didn't." I replied. "Marco wanted to help, so I sent him on a wild goose chase; Paul was searching for Marco."

"You lied to him?"

I nodded as we picked up our lunch. "I don't want him to use Monster Arm anymore, but if he continues to pick fights with people who he can't take on, then he'll have no choice."

"You didn't call me on to fight Paul at all, did you?" She said as we approached our table. "You want me to baby sit Marco."

"Please!" I pleaded. "I've nearly lost Marco so many times already; I don't want to risk losing him for good."

She shook her head. "Fine, but if you continue to lie to Marco then you will lose him forever."

"I know." I replied as I looked down. Just then, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, I looked up to see Mathew walking towards us. "I'll see you at the table Stella." I noted as we parted ways.

"Star!" Mathew said as he walked up to me.

"Mathew." I greeted.

"We may or may not have a problem that I most definitely do not know how to deal with."

"Easy." I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go back to my table and-"

"It'll be quick, you remember how I told you about a new leader being selected?"

"Yeah but you said it wasn't likely."

"It wasn't likely until recently, a few names have been tossed around, and some have stepped up in an attempt to fill the void. There's going to be a debate later today and … everyone wants you to attend."

"I think this could wait until after our current situation is dealt with."

"That's what I thought." He replied. "But there was a report involving the planed attack on you a few days ago."

"What about it?"

"Apparently there's a claim that someone had knowledge and was going to report it; but I was too occupied to listen. There are claims about other instances, but there's nothing that actually proves prior knowledge." Mathew looked away slightly. "But there's nothing disproving it either."

"Fine." I admitted in defeat. "Just tell me when and where; I'll be there."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Meanwhile)

I was sitting at our lunch table with Marcus. Alfonzo and Ferguson hadn't arrived yet, but based on a stunt they pulled earlier, it was a safe bet that they had detention. "Seems lonely here with just the two of us." Marcus said as he pulled out his sandwich.

"Yeah." I said as I poked at my plate of sub edible food; I wasn't interested in conversation at the moment, I was still thinking about yesterday and my clash with Paul. I didn't want to admit it, but he was fighting like me which brought to light a whole new set of issues.

"Marco?" Marcus asked. "Are you paying attention?"

"Wha?" I said as I looked up. "Sorry. I'm just … thinking."

"Care to share?" Marcus asked as he took another bite of his sandwich.

I sighed. "It's about my fight with Paul yesterday."

"Heard about that." Mathew said between bites. "Heard that he has gotten an upgrade."

"Yeah well … I think I know who Lannister put into him."

Marcus's eyes went wide as he stopped chewing. "You've figured it out?"

"More like I've accepted it." I replied as I turned to look down. "I think he's using me on account of my fighting skills and the fact that I … that I haven't developed feelings for Star."

Marcus paused, then slowly finished chewing. "Now … if I recall … Lannister wanted to cure his insanity by using someone who feels just as strongly for Star as he does … but isn't driven insane by it."

"Maybe he changed his tactic."

"Or maybe you're still in denial." Marcus shook his head. "But that's all beside the point, if Paul does have your fighting skills, then you are at a disadvantage; seeing as he has weapons and armor."

"Stella is going to help me fight him so he's not a problem right now." I began. "The real problem is how this 'so called Lannister' managed to get his hands on my DNA." Marcus slowed down as he continued to chew his sandwich. "I mean sure, people leave skin particles around all the time; but it's highly unlikely … no it's impossible to use something like that. One would need something more, like hair, saliva, or-"

"Blood?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "But where on Earth could he get that? Where on Earth did he get that?"

Marcus sat there for a moment staring out into space until he replied. "I think we have a problem."

I rolled my eyes. "Lay it on me."

"You remember those needles we used to free you from the paralysis?" Marcus whispered. I looked around quickly and nodded. "I'm missing the five that we used to cure you."

The implications of this hit me like a ton of bricks. "You mean to tell me that you are missing five needles made from sterilized silver that are covered in my blood?"

"That were forged by one of Star's friends, approved by her closest friend, and used by a cult leader? Yes, I am missing five of those needles."

"Damn." I said as I ran my fingers through my hair. "How did he even know about them in the first place? Or that the blood on them is mine? I didn't tell anyone, Mathew probably wants to forget that he was ever involved; and I don't think you told anyone."

"I haven't told a soul." Marcus replied. "But who else knew that we used needles made from sterilized silver?"

I paused as I considered. "Maybe we're asking the wrong question." I began. "Why did we need to use them?"

"Because you were paralyzed by magic but-"

"That's it!" I interrupted. "How do you cure a magical paralysis?"

"You mean aside from what we did?" Marcus asked. "Time or some other magic?"

"But we didn't have access to either of those so … who else knew that I was paralyzed?"

"Isn't that the same list?"

"No." I replied. "The original Lannister knew that I was paralyzed, he might have put two and two together; or sent someone to finish me off only to find nothing but those needles."

"If he wanted to finish off, why didn't he do it himself? And after he saw you, he didn't have time between being defeated and dragged off to Mewni to return or transfer the information."

"It's the only lead we've got."

"And he's completely lost his mind by now." Marcus retorted. "It's a cold trail Marco, but it pointed to the new Lannister having the needles."

"He could use that to turn the cult against Star." I noted.

"Or against you." Marcus replied. "As well as me, and Mathew, allowing him to take control of it for himself."

"We need those needles." I replied.

"As if it'll be that easy." Marcus noted as he took another bite of his sandwich. "As soon as Star finds out, she'll be furious with me."

"She's not going to find out, and Stella and I will deal with Paul soon enough."

"But Paul doesn't have the needles!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it'll get taken care of, but you should check the building, just in case."

"It's unlikely that anything would still be there at this point." Marcus replied as he finished his sandwich.

"It doesn't hurt to check."

Marcus sighed as he pulled out a carrot. "So any idea on how you're going to find Paul?"

"I have an idea where to check." I replied as I ate my lunch.

Marcus took a bite of his carrot and stared at me. "And what might that be?"

"She should be here any moment."

"You guys talking about little old me?" Janna said as she sat next to me.

"It's nice to see you again Janna." I said as I looked over to see her with her usual coy smile. "And here I was thinking that I would have to go looking for you."

"Why are you only nice to me when you know that I'm going to tell you what you want?" She asked as she wrapped an arm around the back of my neck.

"Maybe because it puts me in a good mood." I replied with a smile. "Is that a new perfume?"

"It's a new graveyard sent that I've come across, glad you noticed."

"And this is getting awkward." Marcus noted.

"But enough about me, you want to know about Paul, don't you?"

"That would be nice." I said as I took another bite of my lunch. "What do you have?"

Just as she was about to answer, Star approached our table and took her seat. "Don't mind me." She said as she tried to pretend not to be there.

We all stared at her until she looked up at us, creating an awkward silence, which was broken by Marcus standing up. "Well, looks like you guys need your alone time so I'll just excuse myself."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(After school)

I was standing by Marcus as he opened his locker to get his stuff, while Bagel was biting his leg, before accompanying me to the meeting today. "I mean can you believe that he would actually get together with her?" I asked. "Marco doesn't even like Janna all that much, not at all really, why would they start dating?"

"Well seeing as I already said I don't know like five times, surely I must know the sixth time you ask." Marcus retorted.

"She's so … shady and always playing some form of angle, like a shady business man who wants to sell you a used grobhopper."

"I have no idea what that is." Marcus said as he opened his locker; only to look down at something that fell.

"And he's going to the dance with her? It's only been a few weeks since Jackie broke his heart, he's clearly rebounding if anything."

"Yeah, yeah." Marcus said, dismissively.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Marcus. "Are you even listening to me?!" I hissed.

"No." Marcus said as he shook his head. "Look Star, I … something important just came up and … I can't go with you today." He picked Bagel up and handed him to me. "Can you keep an eye on him for the next few hours?"

I rubbed my forehead, then took Bagel from Marcus. "Fine, fine just … I don't know, just go."

Marcus gathered his stuff and then rushed off, like he was late for a meeting with the queen or something. I paid it no mind and just left to meet Mathew. When I got to his locker I found a bunch of my followers standing around asking him questions. "Guys?" I asked, causing everyone to stop, look at me, and then part; allowing me to get to Mathew. "Something wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Star." He said as he finished packing up. "Let's get going."

I followed him, along with a number of my followers, as we made our way to a classroom. "Why was everyone crowding you earlier?" I asked as everyone began sitting in a circle.

"They don't know what's going to happen. Some think that the new leader might be a problem, like Roy or my brother, and some think that I might be replaced … others hope that I'm going to be replaced."

"You're not going to be replaced." I replied. "And seriously, who do you think could actually lead my followers while I'm not around? Sure, there are a number who I could mention who would be a good candidate, but I can't think of anyone who could overtake you."

"Thank you Star." He replied. "But we will see." He stepped forward and took a deep breath. "All right everyone, let's get this started."

* * *

(No one's POV)

(A short while later)

Marcus was on his way to an abandoned factory clutching the letter that had fallen out of his locker; it had instructed him to go to this location, alone, or else a friend of his would be sleeping with the fishes and if that wasn't incentive enough then his past would be all over the school newspaper as well. Although Marcus didn't know which friend this person was talking about, he couldn't knowingly let someone get hurt and he also wanted to know exactly what this guy knew about his past. He opened the main door only to be confronted by a mirror maze of all things. "Well you don't see this every day." He said as he walked inside. Just as he took a step in, the door slammed behind him, locking him in.

"Well well well, I'm glad you could make it Marcus." A mysterious voice greeted.

"Who are you?" Marcus shouted as he looked around. He couldn't see over the maze because it possessed a roof but when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, it didn't appear to be human.

"Well I'm just a friend is all. I had a lovely chat with Star the other day until she blasted my accomplice for no good reason, what so ever."

Marcus continued into the maze as he realized who this guy was. "You're one of the hybrids, aren't you?"

"Very clever." The hybrid replied as Marcus spotted something else that didn't appear to be human.

"What do you want with me? What do you know about me? And what else is in here with us?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" The hybrid replied. "You're a nuisance Marcus, just like Stella and my captive; you don't fit into my master's plan in any way. You are all variables that must be taken care of."

"I'll show you who's the variable in this situation." Marcus whispered. "Okay, that's one of my questions, now what do you know about me and how?"

"What do I know?" The hybrid asked. "Why my friend, I know so much, but how do I know it? It wasn't that hard actually, all I had to do was a little digging, everyone at that place remembers the pyromaniac."

"SHUT UP!" Marcus retorted.

"So then you don't want to know what else is in here?" The hybrid asked.

Marcus paused, for a moment, before looking around and spotting what appeared to be a large blue hyena staring directly at him. Marcus's heart began to race as his hands began to tremble; he took a few steps back then began running as fast as he could only to run into a glass wall. He turned around to look, but the hyena was gone. "What's going on here?" Marcus demanded.

"Lannister lent me some of his remaining pets, oh, and don't let them smell your fear, they love the taste it gives your flesh."

Marcus began slowly walking backwards until he bumped into another wall. He turned slightly to the right and found himself staring at one of the hyenas that began growling. He began to hyperventilate as he slowly reached into his hoodie, before turning to run. As he rounded a corner he found himself cut off by the creature. Marcus pulled out a roman candle and lit it just in time to be tackled to the ground. The hyena growled at him as he grabbed for his candle just barely managing to reach it and point it at the creature in time for it to go off; knocking the creature off guard and sending it reeling. Marcus dropped the candle and ran hard, just barely losing the hyena. "Damn it, damn it!" Marcus shouted as he ran. As he ventured deeper into the maze, he encountered another beast that was only a few steps away from him.

"Don't be afraid." The hybrid stated as Marcus saw the tall blond boy's reflection pass by a mirror. "It will be quick; you won't feel a thing."

The creature charged Marcus, who was paralyzed with fear, only to crash into a mirror placed on the other side of a glass wall. Marcus regained his senses and began moving, trying to find a way out of this death trap. "It's no use." The hybrid said as his reflection appeared on a few other mirrors. "Even if you do escape, you're forgetting about my hostage."

"And who might that be?" Marcus asked as he tried to locate the hybrid.

The hybrid laughed as he continued to walk around, appearing to be everywhere. "I told you already, three of you were not invited to this party. Stella, who is going to be taken care of soon, you, who is being taken care of now, and Jackie, who will be taken care of shortly."

"Jackie?" Marcus asked as he continued onward. "What on Earth does she have-" Marcus was cut short by the sight of another hyena in one of the mirrors. Not wanting to be taken off guard again, he pulled out a display tube and readied his lighter.

"How does it feel to know that you will finally get to pay for all that you've done?"

"Shut up." Marcus said as he continued to watch his sides while turning corners in the maze.

"I've heard about what you've done, how careless you can be, how many of your friends have your scared with fire? Did you say all of them?"

"I didn't say anything!" Marcus said, revealing his location to the hyena that began searching him out. It charged him; but he was able to light his display tube just in time to nail it with three balls of fire.

"Something you're good at?" The hybrid asked. "Creating fires that harm those you care about."

"No one asked you!" Marcus shouted as he pulled out another roman candle.

"But I wanted to know and I know so much." The hybrid brushed past a few more mirrors before appearing opposite a glass wall. "And I've learned that you've always been quite the little firestarter Marcus, even since you were young. But you were around seven or eight when you found out how much you loved fireworks."

"I don't need to hear this story again." Marcus retorted.

"But I want to tell it." The hybrid said before walking to the right and disappearing. "How old were you when you made your first one? Nine? No … ten? And who did you show it to but none other than one of the few people who cared about you."

"Stop talking!" Marcus shouted again as he tried to navigate the maze.

"I heard that she was such a caring person, such a big heart for someone so frail."

Marcus began running around desperately searching for the hybrid, or a safe place to hide.

"She showed you such compassion and I haven't the slightest idea why."

Marcus began to break down as he slowly dropped to the floor. "She liked my fires." He replied as his voice began to shake.

"Is that why you wanted to show her your first roman candle? I see, you were going through 'that' phase of your childhood; you were in love with her."

"Why are you bringing this up?" Marcus asked as tears began to flow from his eyes.

The Hybrid ignored his question and continued with the story. "Oh, how sweet it must have been, inviting her to a private show behind the orphanage, so fairy tale like." The hybrid stopped talking until he appeared behind the glass wall in front of where Marcus was curled up on the ground. "But what happened then? What happened during your very first show? Why is that the one thing that people just ... won't ... talk about?"

Marcus shut his eyes tight as the hybrid loomed over him. "It was just one firework, a simple roman candle … I lit it … but it didn't go off."

"And what happened then?"

Marcus shook his head. "She looked closer to check on it … I just followed feeling bad … until the pressure finally forced it to go off."

"So then everything went as planed?" He asked sarcastically.

Marcus shook his head. "The side opened before the top did … and she just so happened to be standing right where it was giving way."

"Ohhhhhh, what happened then?"

Marcus paused, then looked up at the hybrid with an icy stare. "I don't think I want to tell you anymore." He said with confidence in his voice as he stood up.

The hybrid looked at him, awestruck, and took a small step back before frowning. "Well it doesn't matter; all you do is set fires that harm those close to you."

"Okay then, so now it's my turn to ask some questions." Marcus began. "For starters, where is Jackie?"

The hybrid leered at Marcus, then sighed. "In the center of the maze there's a tank filled with water that's ten feet deep. She is currently hanging just above it with some rather heavy leg accessories and a rope that is getting thinner by the second, quite an ironic end for a mermaid."

"Mermaid?" Marcus asked. "Actually, no, my second question is actually, what do you personally have to gain from being Lanniser's stooge?"

"Why normalcy of course." The hybrid answered. "It's only a matter of time until the madness comes knocking, I get rid of two of the nuisances and Lannister will allow me a taste of his perfected formula. Seeing as you are the weaker of the two, there wasn't really much of a choice."

Marcus looked down before a smile crept its way across his face. "I'm weaker than Stella?"

"Yes you are." The hybrid replied. "I saw your fight with her, you would have lost, were it not for that puppy; who is not here right now."

Marcus stood for a moment, before slamming his palm on the glass. "Let me tell you a little something about that fight. Stella is a friend of mine so I held back, you are not." He said as he pulled a black cylinder out of his hoodie.

"Oh please." The hybrid began. "Even if you were holding back, there's nothing in your arsenal that can break through this glass."

"Perhaps." Marcus began. "But I just so happen to have a few sticks of trinitrotoluene, so I'll try my luck." Marcus lit the cylinder and dropped it. "You might want to shield your eyes." He said before running away.

The hybrid looked at the stick for a moment. "Tri … nitro … toluene?" He asked. His eyes went wide as he realized exactly what he was looking at. "Oh F-"

* * *

**I have resisted the urge to make a corny joke because I have things to do and places to be so I will see you all later.**

**R&amp;R**


	56. Chapter 56

**If memory serves then I recently made a comment that this chapter would be up 'As soon as the all seeing eye rains fire upon the world' guess what that meant? Well, seeing as it's going to happen soon, I should probably get ready and hit the reviews.**

**deadshoot12345: Yes, it is TNT.**

** : Yeah, I didn't expect the cult to become as big a deal as it did … I don't know how that happened.**

**Finnjr63: No, Monster Arm isn't in control of Marco.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I wouldn't underestimate him at all.**

**Guest: Actually, in this story their closer to fifteen, I'm not sure if I mentioned that yet but yeah, their closer to fifteen.**

**Your Luca: That is a good question, I would recommend writing what inspires you really, sure, conflict helps and an antagonist helps with conflict but if it's not something that your inspired to write then it's going to be really hard.**

**H. Mae: A lot of people want to slap sense into them Mae. I mentioned before that Marcus got most of those scares by accident when he burnt himself while working on his fireworks or starting a fire in general. Tom is letting Lannister play his hand, what happens after that though is anyone's guess.**

**aliyaperez101: Thank you.**

**Guest: ?**

**Rayfe: I guess he does appear to be a nice guy.**

**Gb: Where's it going?**

**starco 4evah: If I had to guess? Well … I don't want to be something that I predicted, I want to be proven wrong, and blown away at the same time.**

**mr. face: Oh, maybe that's where this is going … is it? I don't know anymore.**

**troll face: PEPSI MAN!**

**hobos 4evr: Well if Dr. Doom ruled the world then there would be no hobos.**

**i stay 12 4evr: I'm actually writing the chapter with the blue moon dance in it as we speak which … was the one after this but I've cut this chapter and the next chapter a number of times so … soon? A blue moon is the second occurrence of a full moon in a month, not something you see every day but not unusual.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Meanwhile)

The discussion had been going on for some time now, with no progress. There were about twenty people in attendance. Although everyone was open to, or excited for the idea of another leader, no one had mentioned a candidate that would fit the bill. I was currently just sitting back, trying to relax, because these types of things bore me to death. Not to mention the only reason I was here was to give an okay if they chose someone they trusted to lead them.

"What about Jack?" Someone mentioned. "He's smart and can lead."

"I've seen people who are directionally impaired who are better leaders than him." Someone else interjected.

"Well, what about Samantha?" Someone else chimed in.

"A great person but not leader material." Someone else added. "She doesn't do well under stress and among other things, is a bit too much of a pacifist for what we have in mind."

I looked over at Samantha who was sitting at the table with a flower in her hair and nodding in agreement.

Everyone continued to throw names around. I began to feel the utter hopelessness of this endeavor. "This is pointless!" Someone shouted out. "We're not going to be able to find a new leader with what we have left."

"Mind your tongue!" Mathew spat. "Last Sunday we added ten to our ranks from those who renounced Roy. Since then, more have come; after hearing how merciful Star is, doubling our overall count for that day."

"Which makes around sixty." The boy replied. "But in all honesty, I can think of … seven people that I know who would be good for the job; five of which are in Mewni jail."

Mathew got up to lecture him, but I was intrigued by what he had to say; so I put a hand on Mathew's shoulder. "Go on." I noted.

"Thank you princess. As everyone knows, Lannister used his transformation formula on six of our own and Roy's five body guards. Five of those six, the odd one out being Rebeca, two of them would make a great leader without a doubt, two others I … would follow if the need arose, and Richard … in straight up hand-to-hand he's second only to Roy; other than that, he's a hero who could lead an army into hell."

"You're over exaggerating and he doesn't like people talking about him like that." Someone else added.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Okay, so he's too humble for his own good, but the point is, Lannister planned to take out every one of us who could raise an opposition."

Everyone silently agreed but something he said caught my attention. "You said that five of the altered members made good leaders."

"Yes my queen, Rebeca would make a good assistant; but she is no leader."

"I understand where you were coming from with that." I said as I waved my hand. "But you said you could think of seven who would make good leaders, who are the other two?"

He was silent for a moment as he looked at Mathew. "Well … there's our current leader, that's obvious."

"And the other?" I asked.

He bit his lower lip and was hesitant to respond. "The other is … not one of us."

"Who?" I demanded.

I sighed and looked down slightly. "Marco Diaz." Everyone turned to look at him astonished at what he just said.

"Are you kidding?" Someone asked.

"That's brilliant!" Someone else added.

"He betrayed Star, in case you forgot!" Another person added.

Mathew sighed and stood up. "ENOUGH!" He shouted, causing everyone to stop. "Now elaborate."

The boy sat for a moment before continuing. "Well … for starters, he's a talented fighter. On top of that, he's loyal to Star."

"That's describes a lot of people here, kid." Mathew retorted.

"I know but he took down Roy for no other reason than because he threatened Star, and if what I heard was correct, he went toe-to-toe with Lannister twice, once while impaired."

"He lost." Someone else noted.

"Name someone other than our princess who beat Lannister in a one on one fight." He retorted. No one had an answer; making him smile. "But back to my first point, he organized a small group of friends, small enough that I can count them on one hand, and took down Roy; that should speak for his fighting ability and his leadership skills. As for his loyalty, I don't think there's a single person here, or in this dimension, who is closer to Star than Marco, and I don't think there's a single person Star cares about more than him."

Everyone was silent, except Mathew, who leaned over and began to whisper in my ear. "His name is Andrew; he was in the group I organized to organize the wild goose chase you wanted to send Marco on."

I sighed. "Do you really think that making Marco a leader would be best for everyone?"

"He wants to help, how better than with the command of every fighter we have." He paused and thought to himself. "But … I honestly think that he would be an even better choice than Richard. He's always by your side so that's a bonus, I honestly don't see why he's not one of us."

Andrew's statement sparked a debate about Marco's viability and nearly everyone was for the idea. I, however, was still a little unsure about it. "I will think on it." I stated ending the arguments. "But this is Marco, so … there is a chance that he will say no." I stood up. "At this moment, he and Stella should be taking down Paul so I need to get home so I can talk to him." I began walking out of the room and Mathew followed me.

When we were a fair distance away, Mathew began talking. "You're against making Marco a leader, aren't you?" He asked.

"I'm on the fence about it." I replied. "Sorry to say, but there is honestly no one I trust more than Marco."

"I don't blame you, I've kept more than a number of important details from you."

"You're a close second Mathew. Marco has kept a number of things from me as well, not to mention that having him in charge of our fighters would, at the very least, ensure that he doesn't fight by himself and that at least ensures that he won't use Monster Arm."'

"Yeah, and Marco's going to want to fight no matter what." Mathew added. "And who knows, it might actually fix things between the two of you."

"Yeah." I replied weakly. I looked over to Mathew and saw that he was upset about something and I knew what it was. Mathew and Marco only got along when it involved keeping me safe and even then, they had disputes about how to go about it and making Marco a leader of my followers wasn't going to solve that problem. Worst of all was that Mathew knew that I was in love with Marco and would assume that I would favor him. "Mathew … can I ask you something … personal?"

He looked to me, confused. "Sure … you know you can ask me anything."

I took a deep breath. "Would you … be willing to go to the Blue Moon Dance with me tomorrow?"

He looked at me, in shock. "Me?" He asked.

"Yes, you, there is no one else in this school, or anywhere that I would rather ask who isn't taken."

"During the last day, that makes me feel so reassured."

"It not like-"

"I'll go." He interrupted, halfheartedly. "I would do anything for you, my princess."

"Thank you Mathew." I replied. "You mean a lot more to me than you realize."

* * *

(No one's POV)

The hybrid had managed to get out of the way just in time to avoid the explosion; but the glass wall that separated him from Marcus was now gone. "Crap." He said as he got moving. "I need to get out of here before-"

"Before what?" Marcus asked as his reflection graced a few mirrors in front of the hybrid. "Before I find out your secret? Too late."

The hybrid began to panic as he backed up, only for Marcus's reflection to grace more mirrors. "You're a coward, maybe you get that from Mathew, but still." The hybrid tried to run; only to come face to face with another reflection of Marcus. "This isn't one big maze; this is a feeding pen and an observation booth." The hybrid tried to run again, but froze when he saw one of the hyenas move on the other side of a glass wall. "You made two mazes and made sure that there was no way to join them. You would be safe in your half while your pets did all the work, all you had to do as make sure I was terrified and they would hunt me; that's why you recounted my shame." The hybrid looked around but only saw more hyenas. "The thing is, your creatures are also cowards, and they will only hunt that which is afraid. Now they bow to me like I'm their master."

"Stop!" The hybrid pleaded.

"Did you stop?" Marcus asked. "No, and you underestimated me as well. You would have done better to throw Stella in here." The hybrid began to run until he bumped into another reflection. "And you sure as heck shouldn't have mentioned her." The hybrid backed up in fear. "Do you even know her name?"

"Mercy." He begged.

"Wrong." Marcus replied.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"You're getting colder."

"Spare me!"

"Are you even trying anymore?" Marcus asked with a laugh.

The hybrid grew terrified as the hyenas grew closer, along with Marcus. "Faith! Her name is Faith!"

"Good." Marcus said as he came into view and approached. "Now, what does Lannister have planned?"

"What?" The hybrid asked.

Marcus pulled out another black stick and lit it. "I said, what does Lannister have planned?"

"I don't know." He said as he slid to the ground.

"Wrong answer." Marcus said as he held out the stick.

"Please, I don't know!" The hybrid pleaded.

"This is going to be very unpleasant." Marcus said as the fuse continued to burn.

"I'm only a reject! He doesn't trust me with his plan, but I know how you can find him."

"Keep talking, you're running out of time." Marcus retorted.

"He'll be at the old cult safe house, that's where they tested on us, it's the one that you raided to get the sterilized silver you used for your needles."

"And where are they?" Marcus demanded as the last few moments on the fuse ticked by.

"HE HAS THEM ALL!" The hybrid hollered.

"Good." Marcus dropped the stick and stood as the hybrid cowered until the fuse burned out, releasing a burst of confetti. The hybrid opened his eyes and stared at the stick and confetti strewn about the floor. "Now I don't have to feed you to your pets."

"Oh." He said as he got up. "That … that would have been bad, too."

Marcus twisted him around, pulled out some rope, and tied his hands together. "You're going to lead me to Jackie and then you're going straight to Mewni."

"Sure, just don't let them get me." He pleaded.

"They won't attack you." Marcus stated as the two hyena creatures approached and stopped on both sides of him. "They think you're my prey."

The hybrid lead Marcus straight to the center of the maze, where there was a door that lead up to a platform next to where Jackie was hanging. "Marcus!" Jackie greeted with joy.

Marcus looked around, but there were no controls to be found. "How do I get her down?"

"You can't." The hybrid answered. "I tied her up in the tank while it was empty, hoisted her up, and then filled the tank." Both Marcus and Jackie looked at him, annoyed. "Well I didn't expect to lose now did I?"

Marcus grabbed him by the collar and held him over the side of the tank. "Well how do you expect to swim without the use of your hands?"

"Marcus." Jackie called. Marcus looked up at Jackie. "Not that I wouldn't mind watching him drown, but if you could just free my hands then I can swim just fine, even with these leg weights."

Marcus looked at Jackie, then threw the hybrid off to the side. "All right, you don't mind a quick dip then?"

"I can handle some water."

Marcus walked over to the rope and gently lowered Jackie into the water. She swam over to the platform and with Marcus's help lifted herself up, then cut off her leg weights. "Thanks Marcus, if it wasn't for you then I would probably have been hyena bait."

"Not hyenas." Marcus noted as they circled him like lost cats. "At least … I don't think."

"Oh, and I almost forgot." She stretched out her wrists, walked over to the hybrid, and punched him in the face so hard that she knocked him out. "I've been wanting to do that."

"But now we have to carry him." Marcus said as he looked at the unconscious body. "And I'm pretty sure I made him wet himself earlier."

"You mean with your fake stick of TNT?" She asked. Marcus looked at her, shocked. "I could hear you two."

"So you heard … everything?" Marcus asked.

"Yup." She replied. "Naturally I wouldn't spread drama anyway, but let's make a deal that if you don't tell people I'm a mermaid, then I won't tell anyone what I heard."

"Agreed." Marcus replied as he pulled out his gold dimensional scissors. "Still a little confused about it but, it's not important." He cut open a portal to Mewni as Jackie threw the hybrid over her shoulder.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know, after we get out of here." She said as she carried him. "So worth punching him in the face."

They went through the portal and ended up in what appeared to be an old war room.

"Is this where you're supposed to bring him?" Jackie asked.

"Yup." Marcus answered as someone began walking down the stairs.

They both looked over as the portal closed behind them to see the king, himself, come to greet them. "Ah, Marcus, and you've brought a few friends this time."

Both of the hyenas ran up to the king and began sniffing him. "My word." He said as one jumped up and began licking him. "Marcus, do you know what these are?"

"Can't say I do." Marcus replied.

"These are only some of the most exotic hunting animals ever known, why some don't even believe that they exist in the wild but these two have no markings what so ever to indicate that they've been in captivity." He sniffed the one licking him, then sniffed the other one. "And they're so young, now that's a rare find indeed. Why any hunter worth his salt would love these as companions."

"Your Majesty?" Marcus interrupted as he motioned to the hybrid that Jackie had over her shoulder.

"Ah yes, the mind controlled victim of Lannister." The King said as he walked over to Jackie and took him. "And where are my manners, you appear to be soaking wet, shall I fetch you a towel?"

"That's all right." Jackie replied. "I'm used to-"

The king interrupted her by ringing a bell, summoning one of the servants into the room. "Fetch a towel for this young girl." He ordered. The servant rushed out of the room and returned in no time with a towel and presented it to Jackie.

"Thank you." She said as she took the towel and wrapped it around herself.

"Now if you don't mind, I need to take this mind controlled victim and lock him up with the others."

"Wait a second." Marcus began. "He's not-"

"That's correct." The king interrupted. "He hasn't actually taken on someone else personality, thoughts, memories, and every other aspect about them, why, if that were possible then imagine the implications. Cults could bring their dead leaders back to life with but a single strand of hair. Empires at war could interrogate prisoners a hundred times over after they've died. It's a good thing that nothing like that actually exists."

Marcus and Jackie looked at each other, then back to the king. "Yeah … that's good." Marcus noted.

"Yes, now I need to get this man in the dungeon before he awakens. I bid you, adieu."

Both Marcus and Jackie watched as the king, the hyenas, and his servant left the room; leaving them alone. "That explains why he doesn't want to admit what this formula actually does." Marcus noted.

"I honestly don't care; I just want to take it easy for a few minutes." Jackie said as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"Well if you want I could just cut open a portal to your house and-"

"I'm good." Jackie interrupted. There was an awkward moment of silence as Marcus took a seat across from Jackie. "So … I know it's not any of my business-"

"You want to know the rest of what happened?" Marcus asked. "It's nothing much really, I saw that the candle was going to tear, I ran up, and pushed her out of the way. I got five new burn marks on my torso and she got one on the side of her neck."

"That doesn't sound that horrible." Jackie began. "I mean, sure, it must have been painful and all but she was mostly-"

"Do you know what happens when you shove a child with Osteogenesis Imperfecta?" Marcus interrupted.

"I … can't say I even know what that is."

"Ah, right." Marcus began. "It's more commonly known as brittle bone disease." Jackie's eyes went wide as Marcus continued. "Broke one of her arms and fractured a few of her ribs."

Jackie cringed and looked away slightly. "I'm … I'm sorry to hear that."

"She never spoke to me again after that … never even looked at me … but up until that point she was so caring and compassionate, and her frailty wasn't even her only problem." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I … I just … can't talk about this anymore."

"That's fine, you don't have to." Jackie looked off to the side for a moment before sighing. "So … do you have any questions that you wanted to ask?"

Marcus paused for a moment before looking up. "Yeah, what happened to your tail?"

Jackie smiled and shook her head. "Every time … I'm half mermaid, I was born with a tail because my mom was a mermaid but … after a short time it turned into two legs. In essence I lost a coin toss, now I'm mostly human."

"That must suck." Marcus stated.

"A little." Jackie replied as she began making circles on the table with her finger. "I have some memories of the ocean where I came from and what it was like, it was a great place from what I remember."

"Do you ever want to go back?"

She smiled. "Only every day." She looked down and sighed. "And thank you … for rescuing me."

"It was no problem." Marcus replied. "Anyone else would have done the same."

She snickered. "Well thank you all the same."

* * *

**Now to watch the new episode of Gravity Falls!**

**R&amp;R**


	57. Chapter 57

**I got a lot of reviews for the new episode of GF and I guess that is my own fault for posting the last chapter so close to it so that's the last I'm going to talk about it. Now let's get on to something else interesting, like … um … I guess the reviews?**

**Finnjr63: Thank you.**

**MasterTigress4444: Why thank you.**

**Your Luca: I have no idea what your referring to when you said anatomically impossible, your welcome, and he already has a dog.**

**AccurateAviator: Well … I can't spoil anything but … she doesn't live in Echo creek.**

**deadshoot12345: I don't know.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**aliyaperez101: Thank you.**

**Guest: That has nothing to do with the chapter but yes.**

**Guest: Um … I guess, I didn't think too much of it.**

**Gb: It's only a matter of time before Lannister is taken care of as well.**

**troll face: I did not read that correctly the first time then … but my response stays the same; PEPSI MAN!**

**hobos 4evr: Nah, not really.**

**mr. face: It was alright, one of my top ten for sure.**

**starco 4evah: Thank you.**

**i stay 12 4evr: No, the hybrids aren't being controlled, that is just what the King wants people to think because of the implications that could arise if they really are being rewritten.**

**Mr: Thank you.**

**Rayfe: This story took on a life of its own a long time ago, that's why it's so long.**

**Snowdrop: It was good.**

**H. Mae: Well Marco might think the ideas crazy but who knows, maybe he'll do it. I feel bad for what happened to Mathew as well, all the stuff he's been through, it's heartbreaking.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Meanwhile)

I was on my way to the location, that Janna had given me, along with Stella;Janna had given us the location, but sadly, not much else. We reached the library, which was actually going to be torn down soon to construct the new one, so at the moment it was empty. "Why do I get the feeling that we are walking into a trap?" Stella asked.

"Because we most likely are." I replied as I opened the door. I walked inside with Stella close behind me, the library was mostly empty, like we had thought, only there was someone sitting on the ground, in the middle of the room, with his back turned to us. "Or he could just have issued a challenge to us." I added.

He stood up and turned around to great us. "Ah, Marco, and you've brought along a little friend as well, a cheerleader?"

"I am no cheerleader!" Stella spat as she tried to rush Paul, before I stopped her.

"Easy Stella." I noted as I let go of her shoulder. "Remember, he's still dangerous."

"More so than before." He said as he slipped on some bracers that looked like they were made from sterilized silver. "I'm not as unstable as I was yesterday, I am of one clear mind and one clear purpose."

"And what might that be?" Stella asked.

He cracked his neck, then his knuckles. "Star Butterfly, I will see to it that no one threatens her so long as I draw breath."

"Then why the challenge?" Stella asked.

Paul laughed and looked over to me as I leered back. "Because Marco is part monster … or … did he not tell you about that?"

Stella looked over at me with a knowing glance and I knew I had some explaining to do. I began by wiping the paint off my face; revealing the stripes. "Star's doing, an accident really, she was trying to fix my arm but put some monster inside me, not really sure of the specifics. She did get rid of it, but it came back and … it was the only way for me to fight Roy and Lannister."

Stella leered at me before closing her eyes and taking a breath. "Does Star know that it came back?" I nodded and Stella turned back to face Paul. "We will talk about that later Marco, but for now, why don't you let the humans duke it out."

"What?" I asked as I walked up to her. "Stella, I-"

"Am a monster that could lose control at any moment, I can handle this by myself."

"I'm not going to lose control Stella, he can't even give me any powers without me giving an okay."

She turned to leer at me. "What else aren't you telling me then?"

I sighed and looked at Paul, who was smiling. "Paul … he's a hybrid of Lannister and … me."

Stella's expression went from a leer to wide eyed. "You?!" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, I figure that it's because I'm so close to her, yet I don't love her, which is holding off-"

"Hold that thought." Stella interrupted. "Paul … or … can I call you something else?"

"Paul will do nicely." He replied. "I don't see myself going by any of the other names that compose me."

"Right, well here's my question, are you in love with Star?"

Paul smiled at Stella's question. "Yes … I am, in fact, in love with her."

Stella looked at me with a knowing smile and gestured to Paul. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "He's also Lannister, remember?"

"Your feelings override Lannister when it comes to Star." Paul explained.

"Can't argue with that logic." Stella added.

"I don't love Star!" I retorted. "She's my best friend and a princess from another dimension."

"You're in such denial, we'll talk about this after I've wiped the floor with this guy."

"Why not let me help?" I asked.

"I told you, that monster might take over and then I'll be in trouble."

"Then I won't use it, but let me help you fight him!"

"You're staying out of this!" She snapped as she turned to face me. "My main priority is keeping you safe, Star is second or maybe third, if that; after all the trouble she's caused. He wants to end you Marco, so this is my fight."

I thought for a moment, then took a few steps back. "Don't you dare lose, I'll never forgive myself for letting you fight alone."

"Don't worry, if he has your skill; then this will be easy." She said as she cracked her knuckles. "Thank you for waiting by the way, if it's all right, I do have one final question before we begin."

"It's unsporting to attack someone before a fight starts and I would be happy to answer your question, so long as I am able."

"Why are you working for Lannister? He poses a threat to Star as well, I would assume that-"

"He is next on my list." Paul explained. "But he gave me resources that aid me in taking down Marco, resources that I need to have an upper hand. So for now he's a necessary evil, but when I'm done, I will do to him what I will do to Marco."

"And what you will do to me?" Stella asked as she took a guard.

"No." Paul replied as he also took a guard. "I won't kill you, you are no threat to Star."

"I'm so honored." Stella replied sarcastically. "Now, shall we get this started?"

"Please, be my guest." Paul replied.

Stella charged and threw a punch, which he parried before throwing a punch of his own. Stella blocked this as well but spun around him; to land an elbow strike to his kidney causing him to reel in pain. "Too easy." Stella said before throwing a punch at his head. Paul ducked, just in time, to avoid the punch then turned around and tried to land an uppercut to her jaw; but Stella managed to back up just enough for him to miss. The motion carried Paul to his feet and Stella took the opportunity to punch him in the solar plexus. Paul reeled back giving Stella and opening to throw a kick, which Paul was only barely able to knock out of the way. Paul then came in for a punch- only for Stella to parry it and grab his wrist. "I swear you're weaker than Marco." She said before turning him into an arm bar.

"I've been warming up." He said before twisting out of the arm bar. Stella threw a punch which he dodged, then another punch, which he also dodged. Before long it turned into Stella repeatedly throwing punches which Paul was dodging. "I'm better than Marco." He said as he grabbed one of Stella's punches. "With Lannister's attention to detail, I've been able to tweak my fighting style, I'm not going down so easy."

"Good to know." Stella said before twisting her hand out of the grab, throwing an uppercut, catching him off guard; then twisting him into a headlock. "But you're still not better than me."

Paul struggled for a moment before throwing an elbow, which caused Stella to release him and back away. Paul threw a punch then an uppercut, both of which were blocked by Stella. Stella then countered with a punch to his chest and it quickly became apparent how one sided this fight was. "Stella's got this." I noted as I watched.

"Yes yes, she's good; but you're forgetting something." Monster Arm added.

"And what might that be?" I asked.

Paul threw a punch, which Stella dodged putting her into a position to strike his neck with the side of her palm. Unfortunately however, Paul managed to raise his hand and the only thing Stella struck was his silver bracer. "Paul has sterilized silver." Monster Arm noted as Stella reeled back in pain. "One hit could be enough to give him an opening to start a combo that would end her." Paul threw a punch which she tried to dodge, but it still managed to land on her right shoulder; a disturbing crack was heard. Paul threw another strike, but Stella managed to parry with her left hand and gain a fair distance on him.

Paul smiled as he dropped his guard, ever so slightly. "And that's the end of it."

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked as she grabbed her shoulder.

"Your shoulder has been dislocated, meaning you can't fight with your right arm."

Stella looked at her shoulder while a strange grin worked its way across her face. "Well … we will have to see about that." She snapped her shoulder back into place and charged Paul with a flurry of punches. Paul tried to deflect or dodge, but she kept hitting her mark; and the more she hit, the more she started laughing. "Pathetic." She said before hitting him in the face causing him to fall to the ground clutching it. "You're so weak." She walked over to him but before she could get to him, he rolled to his side and got to his feet.

Stella smiled and pulled out her sai. She charged him with a crazed look in her eye that I had never seen before. She threw strike after strike, which Paul was only able to deflect on account of his bracers; but it was apparent that Stella had gotten the upper hand in spite of her injury. "Something's not right." I said as I watched. "Monster Arm, I'm going to need you to give me power."

"Sure thing but mind if I ask why?"

Stella threw two strikes, which allowed Paul to slam his bracers against Stella's sai, causing her to drop them and grasp her hands in pain. "That smarts … got any more in ya?" She pulled out her escrima and began beating on him again.

"Because of what Marcus described." I answered as she continued to whale on him, only to have her escrima knocked from her hands. "If I don't do something then she may kill him."

"I understand." I began to feel Monster Arm's power and I readied myself for when the battle was decided. As I waited, I quickly took notice that this rage of hers had left her more careless than usual.

"Not good." I said as I realized the implications. "STELLA WATCH YOURSELF!"

She got some distance from him then turned to leer at me. "I don't need your help Marco." She retorted.

"You should listen to him." Paul said as Stella turned back to face him. Paul went in for another attack and the color quickly drained from Stella's face as he landed a solid punch to her stomach. "Or have you forgotten that I have the same sense of awareness that he does?"

Stella slowly dropped to the ground, grasping her stomach from the blow that had the equivalent force of a strike from someone with brass knuckles. "NO!" I shouted as I ran over to her. I transformed my arm into a tentacle and tried to strike Paul only to have him knock it out of the way with his arm; causing my arm to sting and revert back to normal. "Damn you."

"Easy Marco." He said as he walked over to me. "I'm worn out, and you're unprepared, it would be a crime for us to fight now."

I looked over to Stella who looked like she was in serious pain. "I'm not going to let you get away with this!" I hissed.

"I don't expect you to." He replied. "Don't worry, our match will end before the blue moon graces the sky, but for now it looks like your friend is in need of assistance."

I looked at Paul then back to Stella; and finally back to Paul. "You're going to pay for this." I ran over to Stella who was on her hands and knees; coughing. "How bad is it?" I asked as I knelt beside her.

"I feel like something is moving around inside me." She replied.

"It's all right, I just need to get you to a-"

"NO!" She retorted. "Seriously, I feel like …" She began to motion like she was about to throw up.

I took a moment then opened my monster eyes to see if something was off about the magic inside her on account of she did just get punched by sterilized silver but what I found was … odd. There was something in her stomach that almost seemed like it was moving independent of her but what was most strange was that it looked like it was trying to come up. "Stella … I think there is something inside you." It began moving up her esophagus as Stella began to look worse and worse. "It's almost out, just give it a minute."

"What the heck is inside me!?" She demanded.

"I don't know, just-" I was interrupted by her vomiting out a good portion of her lunch and whatever it was that was inside her. It was hard to see, and if I didn't have my monster eyes I probably wouldn't have noticed it for quite some time. It was small, smaller than my palm and it's body was blob like in nature, it had four legs all ending in some form of goo that hid it's feet; if they weren't it's feet already. Lastly, it had some form of beak for a head; with no eyes or ears. It looked at me then hissed; revealing that it's beak opened sideways and it had a tongue that stretched the length of its body.

"What is that?" Stella asked horrified.

"I don't know." I replied as it thrashed about. It moved around somewhat like a sick animal before falling to the ground motionless. "I think it is dead."

"Make sure." She replied.

I paused for a moment before reaching out and poking it. "Yeah it's dead."

"What the heck was it?"

I pulled out a tissue and wrapped it up before placing it in my pocket. "I'll have to ask Star, how are you feeling."

"I feel …" She paused. "Cold."

I took off my hoodie and wrapped it around her, then picked her up bridal style. "Let's get you home, whatever that was, I don't think it was good for you." I began walking as Stella shivered in my arms.

"Marco?" She began slowly.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I'm sorry … I failed."

"Don't you dare apologize." I retorted. "This was my fault; I shouldn't have let you fight on your own."

"You didn't." She replied. "I agreed to."

"No one asked you to."

She shook her head as I walked. "Star asked me to."

I looked down at her, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Star had a talk with me earlier." Stella began slowly. "She said that she didn't want you to fight Paul and asked me to take him on by myself, I agreed."

"Why did she … she told you about Monster Arm, didn't she?" She nodded. "Figures, she still doesn't trust Monster Arm."

"Do you?" Stella asked quietly.

"I trust that he wants to stay alive as much as any human, and I trust that he helped me take down Roy and Lannister." I sighed. "Would you have fought with me if she hadn't?"

"I'm not stupid Marco." She replied. "I know how useless he would have been against Paul's sterilized silver. It wouldn't have mattered." She sighed. "Now because of my mistake, he's still out there."

"Don't worry about it, tomorrow I'll end this once and for all."

"Tomorrow?" She asked as she looked up at me.

"He said that this will end before the blue moon rises and that's tomorrow."

She looked down in silence. "I'm just so cold." She closed her eyes. "And I feel so weak; I don't know what happened or how much help I'll be able to give you tomorrow."

"You're going to take it easy and rest tomorrow, I'll handle him myself."

She opened her eyes then looked down. "You remembered my weapons right?"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

I had made it home with Stella in tow and when I opened the door I found Star waiting on the couch. "MARCO!" She exclaimed as she ran up to us.

"I'm really not in the mood Star." I replied.

She looked at Stella, awestruck, and covered her mouth. "What … what happened?"

I scoffed. "She demanded that she fight Paul by herself, long story short, she lost."

"Please tell me you're kidding." She replied.

I shook my head. "If I was kidding do you really think we would have lost?" I asked. "If I had helped her, do you think we would have lost?!" I snapped.

Star grabbed her shirt and took a few steps back. "Marco, why are you-"

"I told him everything, Star." Stella muttered.

"Stella!" Star exclaimed.

"And I'm glad she did." I said as I leered down at her. "You've been taking me for a fool Star, I thought we were past the lies … no … I thought we were past the trying to protect each other."

"Look, I was just worried that-"

"That I couldn't control Monster Arm?!" I retorted. "Let me tell you something Star, I've had my fair share of secrets, but I never put my friends at risk because of them!"

"You … what?"

I sighed. "You think I'm being manipulated by Monster Arm, but let me tell you a little story. After my fight with Lannister a few days ago, I wasn't able to get up right away. In truth, I would probably have stayed there for a few hours if the king hadn't come to help me."

"But my dad said that he couldn't find you." She replied a little confused.

"Yeah, that's because I had a talk with him. He knew that Lannister and Roy had a patron, as such he knew that I couldn't stall Lannister; much less defeat Roy without specialized training or a patron of my own."

She shook her head slowly. "You didn't."

"I told him about Monster Arm." I replied. "I told him everything I knew about it. He wasn't too happy, but in the end, he only had one question."

She paused for a moment before opening her mouth. "And … what might that have been?"

"He asked me if I could control it." I closed my eyes for a moment then took a step forward. "I told him that for the time being, Monster Arm did as I asked, but I suspected that he would betray me, that he would put you at risk; that I would turn into a threat that would possibly be more dangerous than Lannister and that you should not be allowed to leave Mewni."

She looked at me, shocked, then a tear began to roll down her cheek and I felt my heart twinge. "You tried to prevent me from returning to you?"

I shook my head. "I wanted to tell the king the truth, I wanted him to know exactly the kind of danger his daughter is getting herself into."

Star looked at me, confused. "But then … why didn't he tell me?"

"Because seeing you almost die right before his eyes turned his entire world on its head."

Star looked away. "Why do people have to be so infuriating?" She asked.

"You tell me." I said as I began walking upstairs. When I reached the top of the stairs I stopped as I remembered one final thing. "And before I forget, there's one more thing that I've been meaning to tell you."

"Another thing you've been keeping from me?" She asked.

"Yes." I answered. "The one who Lannister found, who cared about you enough to fully suppress his insanity … was me."

I continued walking upstairs as Star stayed downstairs, at a loss for words for what I had just told her. I carried Stella into her room and set her down on her bed. "You know you were a little hard on her." Stella said as I tucked her in.

"Maybe." I replied. "But she shouldn't have forced you to fight alone."

"Oh no, I'm happy that you said what you did, I actually think you should have been harsher."

I laughed. "Well, maybe … she is a princess, so I do have to be a little nice to her."

She smiled. "You still have to get her to check out that … thing that was inside me."

"I'll talk to her father about it so don't worry." I said as I ran my hand through her hair. "You just rest now, I will handle everything."

I walked out of the room and watched her as I closed the door behind me. When I turned toward my room, I saw Star standing right in front of me. "Are you still going to fight Paul?" She asked.

I nodded. "He's still after me … and even if he wasn't, he would be after all those innocents who follow you; after he was done with Lannister."

She was silent for a long time. "I'm sorry … I really Stared this up just like everything else I do."

I sighed as I felt my heart begin to ache. "Star … you don't mess everything up … you trusted Marcus and look how that turned out."

She looked away, slightly. "It's not just that … I can handle monsters, bad guys, and all sorts of evil but … you remember Toffee, right?"

"I remember how he blew up." I replied.

"No, he won, he got what he wanted and he didn't even need to fight."

"But he's gone, so what does that matter?"

"It's a proof of concept, I can't lose a fight; so he didn't even try. He just took a gun, pointed it at your head, and said 'I win'. I just don't know how to deal with someone like that."

"It's called psychological warfare Star." I said as I placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's something you're going to have to deal with a lot when you become queen."

"But that's just it!" She replied. "I can't deal with it. Lannister tried the same thing … or … nearly, you get the idea, but he would have won if you hadn't helped me."

"Star." I said softly.

"I need your help with this Marco." She pleaded.

I shook my head. "I'm not so sure I want to be involved in this anymore."

"Please!" She said as she grabbed my shirt. "You're a part of me Marco, we're best friends, a team, a … a …" She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her head into my chest. "If you die it will tear me apart, I need you Marco, I need you more than anything."

I sighed and gently wrapped my arms around her. "That doesn't give you an excuse to put others in danger, Star."

"I know." She said as tears began to run down her check. "I just … I couldn't … I really messed up." She pulled back and looked into my eyes. "There was a meeting today with my followers … they want to pick a new leader." Her grip on my shirt tightened. "You were the only logical choice."

"Me?!" I asked incredulously.

"Please say yes." She looked into my eyes, causing my heart rate to pick up. "We'll fight Paul together, I'll never leave you in the dark again, we'll be a team again!"

I grabbed her hands and removed them from my shirt. "I already told you, I'm not so sure I want to be involved with you anymore."

She closed her eyes and pulled her hands free. "You still plan to take on Paul?"

I paused for a moment before answering. "Yes."

She was silent for a moment. "You promise me that you'll come back?"

I sighed. "I don't owe you any promise, but I don't plan on dying."

She nodded slightly. "You'd better come back." She said softly, before turning away and walking back to her room.

I took a moment before walking into my room and looking through my closet for an old insect container. I placed the strange thing Stella threw up in the container and placed it on my desk, and then took a seat on my bed. "All right Monster Arm … give me the scales."

"Are you sure about this?" He asked. "Remember, they can't be removed."

"You said I could retract them, right? So I should be able to hide them without any real problem."

"True … there won't be any serious drawbacks to this … other than … not being as human."

"I'm already not human, thanks to these eyes." I said as I rubbed my lower eyes. "And I will need a leg up, in case Zack's armor fails."

"Very well." Monster Arm stated. "I will get started on them right away."

"What color will they be?"

"I'm sorry?" Monster Arm asked surprised.

"I said, what color will they be?"

Monster Arm was quiet for a moment. "Well … they would come out purple naturally due to-"

"Can you make them red?"

"Well … yes but … it would take longer."

"How much longer?"

"Um … a few hours, or so, but is the color really-"

I lay down and looked at the ceiling. "Make them red."

* * *

**You know I thought I had gotten father than this, I mean I thought this story reached a point that was further down the line than it is now but no, Paul is still at large and no one has died yet … wait … forget I said that last part. In other news, does anyone remember that list of my OC's? The ten orphans least likely to get adopted? I only ask because after it was made (which was for flavor for the most part) each of them kinda took on a personality and I've been thinking about having some of them featured in other stories. Now I know that OC's should only be used when needed but I feel like I opened Pandora 's Box when I made that list. Now my question is … did I open the box? Should I give them their screen time? I've set up a poll on my profile page and if you guys think I should, then I will begin fleshing them all out a little more and thinking of what shows to put them into … or … I will tell you more about them and what shows I plan to have them be an OC for.**

**R&amp;R**


	58. Chapter 58

**Yesterday, I reached 100 followers on tumbler so to commemorate the event, I'm releasing this chapter earlier than originally planned. And before anyone asks, I am still going to update on Monday. Now for the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: Well … there's still some stuff to go before we reach that so I wouldn't say we're closing in on it … also I can't tell you if she'll be alright due to problems with spoilers.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Not really, it did cause her to be more ferocious but it would have still been close.**

**Golden eye: I want to get it but I am short on money.**

**Scarlet: I never show the light until it's time to leave the tunnel.**

**DJ Dragon: When this review was written I wanted to say tomorrow which is now today.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

The night was anything but comfortable; sure I had sufficient rest but I could feel the scales growing for hours and it sure made sleeping difficult. They had only recently finished growing and I was just getting out of bed, to get a good look at them. They were just the right shade of red but they made it feel weird when I moved. "Just going to have to get used to that." I said as examined some on my arm.

"Are they satisfactory?" Monster Arm asked.

"Yes, they are." I replied as I ran my hand over them; to feel just how thick they were. "Thank you." I walked over to my wardrobe and began changing into my morning clothes; then took another look at the scales. "I don't want anyone to see this just yet." I said as I began trying to retract them. Watching them retract was slightly unsettling and uncomfortable and what's more, it took about fifteen seconds. I ran my hand over my arm and didn't feel them at all. "I won't be able to extend them in the middle of a fight." I noted.

"Be happy that they can retract at all." Monster Arm replied.

"Point taken." I said as I began walking to the door. "By the way, what would happen if one were to get cut off?"

"It would grow back in about a day." Monster Arm replied as I paused. "Just remember, they are not impenetrable, what's more, when one breaks you will have to shed it and grow a new one back in its place, but they should hold up in a fight."

I looked over to my desk, where the creature that came out of Stella was still laying. "I still need to get that looked at."

"You only know one person who can identify it."

I shook my head. "Star wouldn't know what it is any more than me, she would ask her father or mother; which is what I'm going to do later." I walked out of my room and down the stairs. When I reached the dining room I found Star and Stella already eating breakfast. "Good morning." I said as I pulled up a chair and poured myself a bowl of cereal. "How are you feeling Stella?"

"I'm feeling a lot better." She replied. "Actually, I'm feeling better than I've felt for weeks."

"That's good to hear." I replied as I began eating.

Star looked down at her bowl. "Yeah I'm … sorry about what I made you do." I leered at Star for a moment before going back to my bowl while Stella just remained silent.

I finished my breakfast then stood up. "I have some things to take care of today so I won't be back 'till later."

Star looked at me like she was about to say something, but then turned back to her bowl. I put my bowl in the sink then walked upstairs. "Well, that wasn't awkward in the slightest." Monster Arm stated sarcastically.

"Don't start, I feel bad enough about what happened."

"You mean you feel bad about being mad at Star?" He asked as I entered my room.

"A little, even if I do blame her, she at least knows what she did is wrong and feels bad about it. Not to mention that now she knows that I need to be the one to fight him."

Just as I was about to pick up the box with the creature in it, my phone began to ring. "Hello?" I asked.

"Marco?" I heard Zack reply. "I've got good news."

"You finished?" I asked.

"Yeah, just last night, it should give you the edge you need to take him."

"That's great!" I replied. "I just need to take care of … oh."

"I don't like 'oh' and that sounds like a bad 'oh'" Zack replied.

"I'm … not on the best of terms with Star at the moment." I replied. "I don't know if I can be of much help."

"Please tell me you're joking." He stated.

"I'm sorry." I began. "I wish there was something I could do to get the two of us to be friends again, but for now, there's nothing."

Zack was silent for a moment before replying. "So then … you owe me another favor."

"You have something in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I want you to take me with you when you go to fight Paul."

"You want me to-"

"Take me with you when you take down Paul." He interrupted. "I have a few words that I want to say to him."

I sighed. "Fine, but I have some things to take care of on Mewni first, and then we can get down to business."

"All right, I'll see you soon." He replied before hanging up.

I put my phone away, picked up the box, and turned to my door, only to come face to face with Star who was pointing her wand at me and truth be told, I was surprised that I didn't see this coming. "Where is he?" She asked.

"Who are you talking about?" I replied.

"Paul!" She snapped. "You were just on the phone with your source, weren't you?"

I shook my head. "Just a friend, I have no idea where Paul is."

Her wand started to glow as it charged up. "Don't lie to me! Stella couldn't take him, so you can't take him. The only logical thing to do would be for me to fight him."

"I have Monster Arm." I noted.

"And Paul has gear made from sterilized silver."

"You have a magic wand!" I exclaimed. "You're not going to do any better than Stella or me!"

She leered then put her wand into her bag. "You want a bet?" She said before taking her fighting stance. "You forget that I took on all of Ludo's henchmen without my wand, twice, all by myself."

"I'm not going to fight you Star." I replied.

"You're just saying that because you can't." She said with a smile. "You fought Ludo's minions alone and lost, one time you even got locked in a dumpster."

I crossed my arms and shook my head. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work, I'm not going to fight you."

"Then you're not going to fight Paul." She replied as she dropped her guard. "You know I'm a better fighter than you and I'm not going to let another one of my friends get hurt because of my mistake."

"Don't go there Star, this is my fight and you know it."

She gave an evil smile. "Well I can't let the safe kid just go out pretending like he's some misguided hero."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Oh no, you did not just go there."

"What do you mean safe kid?" She asked in an antagonizing tone.

I put the container on my desk and took my hoodie off. "If it's a fight you want then let's see what you've got." She retook her fighting position as I took a deep breath and readied myself. "So … no magic?" I asked.

"That's right; it won't be of any help against Paul." She replied.

"All right then, give me one moment." I tensed a little as my scales began to emerge from my skin; Star looked on, in horror, as she witnessed what I had received from Monster Arm.

"I thought you said that you wouldn't ask Monster Arm for any more help." Star stated as she leered.

"I thought you said you were done protecting me." I retorted.

She grunted and before I knew it, she had nailed me straight in the chest and I went flying into my wall. "Damn." I squeaked out. She was about to throw another punch; but I managed to duck out of the way just in time. This resulted in her punching a hole in my wall. "You're incredibly strong, how did I forget about that?"

"You give up?" She asked as she turned to me.

"Not a chance." She threw another punch, which I avoided, followed by another and then a roundhouse kick to my head; which I ducked out of the way of. Her fighting style was unrefined and almost barbaric, but all she needed was one hit and it would be over for me. She continued to attack, she threw a punch that I managed to avoid just enough to get a shot in on her ribs; but as I was about to counter attack, I froze. She took this opportunity to throw another punch which dealt me a glancing blow and with my scales, did nothing at all. She continued to attack, while I passed up opportunity after opportunity. 'Damn it' I thought. 'I can't hurt her, she's my best friend.' Just as I was thinking, she threw another punch, which I managed to catch, causing me to smile. Before I could to anything however, she grabbed my shoulder with her other hand and I was forced to release her arm so that I could grab her shoulder. She pushed me down, bringing herself along for the ride and our fight quickly devolved into a wrestling match.

I tried to get my hands on her upper arms to prevent her from using her superior strength against me, but it proved pointless in these close quarters. She was able to overpower me and pin me to the ground with her knees on my shoulders. "Looks like I win." She said smugly.

"Not over just yet." I said before using my feet and lower body to push her off. I got on top of her and tried to restrain her, but every attempt I made she managed to muscle out of. She managed to reverse the situation and was now trying to pin me; but I was able to work my way out of it. She then placed her hands on my face which confused me until she started to glow. "That's cheating." I said as I tried to keep my lower eyes closed and remove her hands from my face.

"We never established any rules." She said as she continued to try and work my eyes open. "Plus, I thought you liked seeing me with your monster eyes."

I was beginning to shake as Star continued to work my eyes open until I heard something that made us both freeze. "Am I interrupting something?" I heard a voice say. I looked up to see Marcus standing in the hall and he was staring at us, surprised. "Because I can't tell if you two are fighting or failing at making out, and it bothers me that it could really be either."

"Marcus!" We both exclaimed as we quickly made out way to our feet.

"I wanted to ask Star for something, but if you two want to go back to making out then-"

"We weren't making out Marcus." Star interrupted.

"Yeah." I added as I pulled my hoodie back on and grabbed the container with the creature in it. "As a matter of fact, I was just leaving." I pulled out my dimensional scissors and cut open a portal to Mewni. Before Star could interject, I ran through and closed it behind me.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched Marco escape me before I could stop him, then turned to Marcus, annoyed. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting me."

"Sorry, if I knew you were working on telling him your feelings then I would have waited with Stella."

"I wasn't …" I sighed. "He is angry with me right now and I was trying to make things right by taking responsibility for it."

He shook his head with a smile. "Even if you took him down and healed Stella, it wouldn't make Marco feel better about what you did."

"All right then, if you're so smart then what should I do?" I asked with a leer.

He smiled. "Well, being a guy myself, I know the one thing that every guy would love to hear."

I rolled my eyes. "And what exactly might that be?"

He laughed. "Simply tell him that he was right and you were wrong."

I was left speechless for a moment at the shear audacity of his statement. "Why … how could … that's just … are you joking?"

"I never said it had to be the truth, even though it is, in this instance."

I looked at him, shocked and had to fight the urge to pull out my wand and blast him. "How was I wrong?"

He stared at me blankly, like I had just made a bold mistake. "Um … your decision got Stella hurt. If you had gone with Marco's suggestion, not only would both of them be okay, but Paul would be apprehended by now."

"I know that!" I snapped. "I know what I did was wrong and I'm trying to fix that."

He shook his head. "Do you want to fix the problem at hand, or make up with Marco?"

"Are the two mutually exclusive?" I asked.

Marcus paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes, for the most part they are."

"Explain." I demanded.

"If you mess something up and it makes someone else upset, the best thing to do is acknowledge that and learn from that mistake."

"And what if Marco can't take him?" I asked. "Won't he forgive me if I take Paul down?"

"Mutually exclusive events Star." Marcus repeated.

I sighed. "So either I get Marco to forgive me and he most likely dies … or I take down Paul and Marco never forgives me?"

"What part of mutually exclusive do you not understand?" Marcus asked, a little annoyed. "You can choose either and if you play your cards right end up with both Marco alive and your friend again; and Paul defeated."

"How?"

He shook his head. "What do I look like? Your advisor? I'm just here because I found Lannister's hide out."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

When I arrived and saw the rows and rows of book shelves, taller than my house, filling a room that was larger than my school; I paused to take it all in. "This can't be right … I didn't expect it to be this large/I expected it to be large, not this large, it should have shattered my expectations." I sighed and began my search; it didn't take long to find the section with a book on parasitic creatures but, sadly, it wasn't just one book, but a set of twenty. "Still not what I expected." I said as I opened the first book. I was glad that the books came with pictures because that was just about all I knew about this thing. After looking through five books and almost passing out and learning more than I would ever want to about parasites that literally consume and replace your intestines; I came across the thing I was looking for. "Here it is, the 'Deditus satietas' a parasite that lives in one's stomach and … creates addiction?" I continued reading as I became more concerned. "Causes one to form an addiction to what brings them joy or bliss then feeds on the emotion depriving the host … of the joy. In its early stages it continuously feeds and creates a need, sometimes creating violent bursts of madness, then crashing; leaving the host with no memory." I sighed. "Sounds like what happened to Stella when she fought Marcus and Paul." I looked towards the back of the section to see how Stella contracted this thing. "Can only be contracted when an egg is placed in the stomach, this could be by consuming ... or an adult teleporting its eggs into a nearby host." I sighed with annoyance that these things could basically infect anyone who is walking next to someone who is infected. At first I was really concerned, but as I read I found that they only laid eggs once a year. This thing however was only a child, so someone I know must have an adult inside of them. "Let's see, in adolescence it creates an obsession until it reaches adulthood when it … goes dormant, feeding off small burst of the sensation while slowly creating desire until the host is driven to commit a grand act to satisfy the craving allowing the Deditus satietas to … hatch." I looked at the illustration and saw a giant version of the creature standing over a human that was torn to shreds. "Well that's unsettling … and something I should get a handle on before it's too late." I continued reading, to try and find a way to tell who was infected. "Composed of mostly magic … that's why the sterilized silver scared it out … immune to most forms of poison, must be physically removed." I closed the book and looked at the shelf. "Of course." I put the book back then looked at the container. "Now what am I going to do with you?" I asked as I looked at the dead creature. I opened my monster eyes, then double checked to make sure I didn't have one lurking inside me, then let out a sigh of relief when I saw that I was in the clear. "Still have to find out how Stella got the first one inside her, should be easy with my eyes."

I pulled out my scissors and opened a portal to Zack's safe house and stepped through. When I got there I found Zack sitting on one of the chairs and most of the silver that was around the room the last time had disappeared. "So … what happened to everything?"

"I've … been thinking."

"Why does that worry me?" I replied.

"It shouldn't … it's nothing to do with you." He began. "What am I supposed to do when Paul is taken care of? I've sterilized more silver than Paul possesses so Star isn't going to forgive me … where does my life go after that?"

"Star will forgive you." I replied.

"You keep saying that, but I still have a bad feeling … what if she doesn't?"

I walked over to him and looked down at him. "Then you have to simply move on." He looked up as if wanting to know more. "On the slim chance, very slim chance that she is still angry with you, she's not going to hurt you, or send you to jail; you'll still have your life, unlike Roy who no longer has his freedom."

"I just don't know what I would do with it."

I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The same thing you would do if Star forgives you."

He looked up at me and smiled. "That's not much then." He stood up. "But whatever the case, I need to get back at Paul." He walked into another room then came back with a box. "I managed to finish it." He said as he took the top off. "But remember, his sterilized silver is still tough, it will hurt and it will hurt a lot."

"That's what I got these for." I said as I brandished my scales.

Zack looked on wide eyed. "I see you came prepared … is this why you and Star-"

"No." I interrupted. "We are at ends because she put one of my friends at risk; because she wanted to protect me."

"So … you are mad at her?" I nodded. "Then why did you make it seem like you wanted things to get better?"

"When did I say that?"

"You said that you wish there was something you could do to get the two of you to be friends again, but you couldn't do anything about it."

I froze for a moment. "Now Zack, I know what I said-"

"No, I get it." He interrupted. "You're upset with her yet you still want to risk your life to protect her."

"I'm not fighting Paul for her. I'm fighting him to get revenge for what he did to Stella; and because he wants to kill me."

He nodded sarcastically. "All right … this is revenge? Then you had better keep your new deal and take me to the fight."

"Don't worry about it, as soon as he contacts me, I'll tell you where he wants to meet."

"Thank you."

I opened the box and took a good look at the ringmail. "I should be thanking you." I said as I took hold of it.

"Well don't just stand there looking at it, try it on."

I took it out of the box and walked into the other room, once there I slid the armor on but as it slid against my chest I felt something wrong with the scales there, almost like some were missing. I took the armor off along with my shirt and noticed that there was a spot with missing or broken scales. "What the." I said as I plucked a broken one off with small difficulty. "What happened?"

"Star happened." Monster Arm replied. "It was her first hit, remember?"

"I didn't expect Star to be so strong. Is this going to be a problem?"

"Mildly, so long as you keep your guard up it shouldn't matter."

"But a weak point is a weak point." I said as I put my shirt on followed by the ring mail. It fit well, it was very heavy but nothing I couldn't handle. "But so long as he doesn't know about it everything should be fine."

* * *

**So in other news, I hadn't noticed that the poll I made didn't come up for like … two hours after I posted it so it's up now if you missed it on Monday. In the event you forgot, I want to know if your guys want me to plug my other OC's into fanfiction stories.**

**R&amp;R**


	59. Chapter 59

**I would like to take this moment to thank you all for being amazing and all that and all, now I feel bad for writing in the death of one of my characters … wait … forget I said that. Now things were a tiny bit rough yesterday with this or that but that's … well I still have to deal with it but I'm dealing with it. Now to get onto the reviews.**

**Banagicowl: What have I done? Well I've just broken apart the two closest friends this side of Phineas and Ferb … wait … do you think Star and Marco are closer than them?**

**Finnjr63: You know I actually don't know who would have won that fight, sure Star is strong but Marco is skilled, Star has experience, Marco has knowledge on Sters fighting style, Marco has reach but Star has flexibility, and yes, that last one was taken from a line spoken by Garrus from Mass Effect.**

**MasterTigress4444: Well for every person who I drive crazy, Bill gives me another snack … or he would if I didn't lock him in another dimension some trillion years ago, I think he's still angry about that.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Rayfe: Or maybe it will be the end of all love as we know it … wait … was that a typo?**

**Lycan Federation: I cannot begin to tell you how much this made my night, thank you so much.**

**H. Mae: Aww *hugs* I'm starting to rub off on you, aren't I? Also, I'm going to flesh out my OC's a bit on tumblr at some point today and see what people think. Also, your thought on Marco pulling out of the situation is nice … but something is going to happen soon that is going to prevent that from happening … sorry … and lastly, Star fought Marco so that she could fight Paul herself and take care of this once and for all.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus was hiding behind a nearby building, just outside the storage facility, in a cultist outfit waiting for his backup to arrive. "Am I late?" Kevin asked as he arrived.

"No, you're just in time." Marcus replied. "I'm just waiting; I want to make sure that the rest are in there."

"The rest?" Kevin asked.

"The rest of Lannister's followers, this ends today." Marcus replied.

"Glad you think that way." Kevin began. "So is Star going to be here?"

"This is personal, plus, I highly doubt the real Lannister is in there."

"Just his last two experiments." Kevin noted. "Plus everyone who's still loyal to him."

"That's why I asked for backup."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

I was walking down the sidewalk trying to prepare myself for the battle that was to come; sure, I had all the armor I was going to get, but I had to be mentally prepared for this fight. "He's not going to get the upper hand on me." I said to myself. "All he has is sterilized silver, I can take him." I looked up to see the sun high in the sky. "I still have a few hours … but this waiting is starting to drive me crazy."

As I walked I heard my phone ring, I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID to see that it was Janna. "Probably wants to talk about tonight." I said before answering. "Hey Janna, I remember that I have to take you out to the dance, but can we talk about this-"

"Hello Marco." Paul greeted over the phone.

"Paul." I replied shocked.

"You know, you really should have seen this coming, I do think like you after all."

"What have you done with Janna?!" I demanded.

"Nothing, yet. If you want it to stay like that, then you had better come to the old steel mill as fast as you can."

"Why do you need a hostage? You know I would have come anyway."

"Insurance that you fight me alone." He answered. "Please, bring whoever you want to watch; but our fight is between the two of us."

I sighed. "The old steel mill?"

"It's only fitting." He answered. "That place holds so many memories for me … or … it did."

"Fine." I replied. "I'll be there." I hung up then dialed Zack. "Zack, I know where he is."

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus and Kevin were still waiting outside the storage house and it appeared that all of Lannister's followers had entered. "Think it's been long enough?" Kevin asked.

"I think we've waited long enough." Marcus replied. He began making his way to the building as quietly as he could, followed closely by Kevin. When they reached the door, they both threw their hoods up and went over the plan. "Okay, remember, we just need to take out the leader and the two hybrids.

"And who might they be?" Kevin asked.

Marcus sighed. "No idea." He opened the door and walked inside. As they made their way to the main area they found a number of cultists standing in front of someone they recognized as Michel with two guys flanking him.

"I was wondering where he disappeared to." Kevin noted. "I should have known that he would be the one behind this."

"Seriously?" Marcus asked. "You think he's the fake Lannister?"

"Makes sense." Kevin replied. "He wants revenge, so he pretended to be Lannister so that he could recreate him; only without his fatal weakness."

"I feel as though we are missing something." Marcus replied. "But let's not talk about this right now, let's just get this done."

They made their way into the crowd without anyone noticing. "Friends, I know that it has been hard. I know that you've all been scared; but I'm here to tell you that soon, you won't have to be afraid anymore." Michel lectured as Marcus and Kevin made their way toward the center. "I am a witness of how unforgiving Star can be, I mealy was manipulated; yet she refuses to forgive what I have done."

"Liar." Kevin whispered.

"But soon, the plan will be complete and Star will be one of us."

"I am going to rip out his larynx." Kevin hissed as he began shoving people out of the way.

"All that remains is Marco's death and then Star will be ours!"

Kevin began shoving people out of the way until he reached Michel and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground and earning him an astonished look from just about everyone. "You're filling their heads with lies you demented traitor!" He spat.

"Kevin." Michal replied as his followers restrained Kevin and forced him to his knees. "I'll be honest; I didn't expect that he would bring someone who was so volatile, poor choice on his part."

"Who?" Kevin asked.

Before Michel could answer, Marcus was brought right next to Kevin and forced to his knees as well. "Why did you have to do that?" Marcus asked.

"It wouldn't have helped." Michel noted as he sneered. "I knew that you were coming and I'm actually hurt that you're late."

Marcus leered at him. "So then that hybrid you sent after me yesterday was only bait?"

"No, I fully expected him to kill you and Jackie." He said before taking a knee so that he could look him in the eye. "That task was idiot proof, if he failed that then he would no doubt give away my location."

"It's funny that something that's idiot proof can be foiled by a simple stick of TNT." Marcus retorted.

Michel got up and took a few steps back. "Good thing you're restrained." He turned to address his minions. "Can we get some rope on him? … and possibly a gag?"

"You sicken me." Kevin hissed.

"Yeah, I got that." Michel said as he rubbed his cheek. "You know … I'm kind of glad that the hybrid failed yesterday." Michel walked over and looked Kevin in the eye. "I can deal with Jackie, and Marcus is out of the picture either way, but you … also something I could have dealt with; but this makes things easier."

"Don't be so pompous." Kevin retorted. "You're still going to lose."

Michel smiled as he knelt down to look him in the eye. "Is that so?" He stood back up and began to pace back and forth. "I've captured you and Marcus, Marco will be dealt with in the next few hours, Stella is in no position to fight, and I have two hybrids on my side that are more Lannister than Marco; so tell me, where does my disadvantage lie?"

"You've lost because you think you've already won. Let's say that you do somehow take Marcus and I down, Marco isn't going to lose to Paul. However, if he does and you deal with Paul, you still have to deal with Star."

"Interesting theory." Michel replied. "But … one problem … you said … 'if' … I take Marcus and you down." He raised his hands slightly. "It looks to me like I've already done that."

"No you haven't." Kevin began. "Look, you've surrounded yourself with ... maybe twenty loyal to Star? Looks to me like you're outnumbered."

He laughed. "Really? All of these people are those who Star will never forgive." He put his foot on Kevin's head and pushed him to the ground. "I'm merely helping them."

"You are misleading them." Kevin squeezed out. "There's only one person who Star excommunicated and he has his foot on my head like he's pretending to be someone."

"I was forced to do what I did and she showed no mercy!"

"You took pride in your actions, which you KNEW Star was upset with and she still gave you the chance to live a normal life. But now? You're going to jail for a very long time."

Whispers began to stir among the crowd as Michel looked around. "No, NO! I was being honest! I was mistreated, I did nothing wrong!"

"You even deny what you've done; she should have locked you up a long time ago."

"All I did was purify silver."

"Sterilized!" Kevin retorted.

Michel began applying pressure to Kevin's head. "I'm going to crush your skull and spill what little is inside all over the-" Michel was interrupted by a blow to the face causing him to fall back into the arms of his followers. When he got his wits about him, he saw that it was one of his own who had hit him and he leered at him intensely. "Take him." He demanded. The two hybrids walked over and restrained him before dragging him over to Michel. "What do you think you're doing?"

The boy looked up at Michel, a little worried about what he had just done. "I … All I did was follow Lannister's orders … because he said there was no other way, he was wrong and you were wrong and I would rather be excommunicated than be involved with whatever you have planned for Star."

Michel nodded then looked over to Marcus who was tied up on the ground. "Do any of you believe that you will actually be forgiven?" He asked. "Without my help, you will all be thrown in the Mewni jail. How do I know this? Because Star doesn't care for the silver herself!" He walked over to Marcus and knelt down. "This man, one of her best friends, forged needles made from purified silver, and he's not in trouble for it."

"You're lying!" Kevin retorted.

Michel looked over, then walked over to him. "Oh really?" He reached into his robe and pulled out a small handful of needles. "Marcus forged these himself, and before you say otherwise, look at them?" He showed them to him, showing a red substance on them. "That's Marco's blood, I know because that's where I got his DNA for my hybrids, how else do you explain this?"

"Save your breath, Marcus already told me the real story."

"Real Story?" Michel asked.

"Yeah, how do you think Marco's blood got on those in the first place?"

Michel looked at him, a little annoyed. "He needed to remove the magic from Marco's body that Star had used to paralyze him. In essence, Marco must have approved-"

"Where did he get the needles?" Kevin asked.

"He made them."

Kevin nodded. "Right … because someone who doesn't know how to forge sterilized silver or smelt it totally knows how to make weapons from it." He shook his head. "No, YOU were the one to sterilize them and Paul was the one who forged them, not Marcus, you're just trying to use it as an excuse to make them believe you."

Michel rolled his eyes. "And how did he have them on him at the exact moment he needed them?"

"He took them from Roy the previous day." Michel leered as he walked over to Kevin. "Maybe if you give up now, Star will go easy on you. I hope not but it's in her nature."

Michel held the needles by Kevin's eyes and leered. "One more word out of you and I will turn you into a blind man." He threatened. He turned to address his remaining followers. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

"Well maybe I do." Someone said from the door on the far side of the room. Everyone looked over to see Ryan standing there, his arms crossed.

"Are you joking?" Michel asked as he held back a laugh. "And here I thought that you were the smart one."

"Oh, I'm not joking, and I have a few things to say." He began to take a few steps forward. "All you've done is lie and manipulate the innocent, you claim that you have their best interests at heart but you only look out for yourself … I don't think you even have a heart."

"Cute." Michel stated sarcastically. "But … I still have you outnumbered and out gunned." He said as he motioned to the hybrids.

"Oh, I brought a few friends with me to even things out a little." A few cultists began to emerge from behind the crate next to the door.

"You think that a few cultists are going to be enough to stop me?" Michel asked as cultists began to emerge from behind the crates next to those as well. He continued to watch until even more cultists began to appear and soon enough, they were completely surrounding him. "I see you managed to reverse the number problem." He stated.

Kevin laughed. "Looks like you're outnumbered now."

Michel leered at him then marched towards him. "I told you what would happen if you ever began speaking again." He raised the needles and was about to jab them into Kevin's eye, but someone grabbed his arm and stopped him. Michel looked over to see a young girl who looked just as afraid as the last person to try and stop him. "What are you doing?" He asked. "Let go of my hand."

"No." She replied. Just then, someone else grabbed his other hand then someone grabbed a section of his arm. Before long, he was completely restrained followed by the hybrids behind him which put up little resistance.

"How?" Michel asked. "How is this happening?"

"You miscalculated." Marcus said as they began untying him. "You should have run the moment you knew your plan had turned around."

"You think this is over?" Michel asked.

"Is there something more you are hiding from us? Fake Lannister?" Marcus asked.

Michel was silent for a moment before laughing. "I'm going to get out some day, and I'm going to take my revenge on everyone, starting with you traitors!"

"Fat chance." Kevin said as he took the needles from him. "These the needles?"

Marcus took the needles and looked at them. "Well … yes and no."

"Translation?"

"There are only four … where is the fifth?"

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I made it to the old steel mill and found Zack waiting just outside the door. "What took you so long?" He asked.

"I could ask you how you got here so fast." I replied.

"I was impatient." He replied. "I just want to be able to put all of this behind me."

"You and me both." I replied. I placed my hand on the door and pushed it open to reveal a mostly empty building with Paul sitting in the center of the factory, facing away like he was yesterday, a gym bag next to him. "Are you trying to look cool or something?" I asked as I walked inside.

"Only trying to get peace of mind." He replied.

I rolled my eyes as I approached. "Don't try and fool me, of all people, I know you're not really meditating."

"Sorry." He said as he got up. "I wasn't able to bring my bed with me so I had to improvise."

"Enough of this." I retorted. "Where's Janna?"

"So eager." He replied. "But you are only using her now aren't you? You don't love her, you barely like her, the only reason you even agreed to go out with her was to protect Star."

"But I still like her enough to keep her safe and feel guilty over the fact that it's my fault she's here."

"I would have taken her anyway." Paul replied. "I have her tied up somewhere special so she can watch the fight." He folded his arms and looked to my side. "So I see you invited my old partner."

"We were never partners." Zack replied. "You used me, you manipulated me, you made me do things that keep me up at night. Do you comprehend the atrocities that you made me commit?"

"I don't have the right to regret what my past life did." He replied. "But seeing as you're here, Marco must have added something metallic to his arsenal."

"You'll have to find out." I answered before taking a deep breath. "Shall we get this started?" Paul smiled and took off his jacket, revealing what looked almost like Roy's ring mail. He then reached into the bag and pulled out the pair of gauntlets from yesterday and slipped them on. "I see you've been busy." I noted.

"Glad you noticed, they had this thing mostly disassembled by the time Lannister retrieved it for me, I had a hard time putting it back together."

"I thought that you lost your ability to smith when you became a hybrid?"

He shook his head. "That's the beauty of this new formula, I am fully aware of who I once was and am fully capable of everything he was."

"Then this is going to be an interesting fight." I said as I cracked my knuckles. I drew out my scales just as I cracked my knuckles three times. "It's time we end this for good."

"Don't be so cliché, it's not going to end the way you fantasize."

We walked towards each other and stopped ten feet apart. We took a moment to bow to each other before taking a guard. We stood for a moment before I moved in and threw the first punch, which Paul blocked before trying to land a hit on my stomach. I managed to parry and counter with a strike to the neck. He managed to disengage just in time to get away from my strike and quickly came back in for another punch. His attacks were faster and more precise than mine and it wasn't long before he began landing a few hits; starting with my shoulder and then getting a few blows to my gut. My scales and armor managed to absorb most of the force, but he still had the upper hand. It was only because I hadn't used Monster Arm's power, in fear of knocking him too far away. My choices where quickly becoming limited, so I blocked a punch, creating an opening allowing me to land a devastating punch that sent him reeling back. I smiled a bit at the fact that even though it was only a little, the silver armor protected me from the sterilized silver. I moved in to try and hit him again, but he sidestepped; allowing him to land a kick to my stomach. I reeled back as I felt the hit crack something and only barely managed to get out of the way of his follow-up attack. I quickly placed my hand on my stomach and noticed that it was a few of my scales that were slightly cracked; nothing serious and to be worried about. He took this opportunity, however, to hit the center of my chest causing me to fall off balance, allowing him to trip me. I rolled out of the way before he could stomp on me and quickly made my way to my feet as I clutched the spot where he had hit, only to feel that there were no scales left. The distraction enabled Paul to land another kick to the same spot as before, causing another crack and me to stumble back. I continued to contemplate why there were missing scales until I remembered my encounter with Star this morning and what it had done. "You're off your game Marco!" Paul exclaimed as he threw a punch that I was just barely able to dodge.

I tried to get another hit on him; but somehow it had appeared that he had gotten faster than before and my attacks were only giving him openings. As he came in for another attack on my chest I raised my hands to block, only for him to redirect his attack at my gut; once again causing a much more audible crack. He struck my gut again and attempted for another before I stepped back so he wouldn't have the opening. My stomach was still somewhat protected and on top of that, it was my stomach so it's not like he could land a devastating hit there. The real problem came from my solar plexus which Star had been kind enough to damage this morning.

He came at me again and as soon as I tried to hit him, he parried and moved behind me before landing an elbow to my kidney and realizing that my back was the most protected portion of my body. When I turned around, I saw him grasping his elbow in pain. I took this opportunity to rush at him and nail him in the chest a few times before he got a kick in on my knee allowing him to distance himself. We both stood there, slightly exhausted for a moment, until he came at me again; only this time he seemed even faster than before. As I tried to comprehend why this was happening, I realized that there was something off about my weight, I quickly distanced myself to check and sure enough, my chainmail was falling apart and was now mostly strewn about the battle field. "So that's what's happening." I stated.

"You're clever." Paul replied. "Silver is such a soft metal, I'm sure Zack told you how little protection it would provide."

I took a quick look at Zack, who was rubbing his eyebrows, then turned to face Paul. He seemed to be smiling and for good reason, with most of my armor gone, my scales nearly fallen off my front and at least broken everywhere else except my back, this was turning into a one sided fight. "Why not give up?" He asked. "It will be much easier to make your death painless if you do."

"I'm not going to quit here." I replied. "I'm just getting started." I tried to hit him again but he blocked my punch and nailed me in the chest, then another one and ending with an elbow to the exposed spot on my chest causing a great pain and my legs to begin to give.

"Looks to me like it's over." He said as I began to fall to the floor.

"No." I squeaked out as I tried to hit him; only to not work up enough strength to even break a toothpick.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "This is going to hurt." Be brought his fist back and with one swift blow to my weak point. Then, everything slowly went black.

* * *

**Well that about wraps up the chapter for today, and don't worry, you get to see what happens to Marco in only … four weeks! … yay? Okay, it's not going to be that long but it's not going to be tomorrow either.**

**R&amp;R**


	60. Chapter 60

**So I took a look at the poll and it shows that you guys don't want to see stories involving my other OC's. Oh well, I'll just shelve them for now … guess I should move on to the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: The fights not over till one of them hits the floor.**

**WarHusky2000: Well you'll find out if he's alive in this chapter … or the next.**

**H. Mae: Well, I thought long and hard about what would happen next but in the end I thought this up at the last minute … well … kinda last minute.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I try my best with the fight sceens but I never know if they turn out well, I also have my beta to thank for how good they are because when I start writing them my grammar seems to take time off.**

**Rayfe: No no no, I thought I had a typo. Also, wins the princess? I know what you mean but better wording might be better.**

**Trash: Yes, that is the right way to comment. I also like fanfiction but writing is harder than one would think. I didn't add Ludo in again because he … well … after the season finally, continuity kinda got annoying.**

**Gb: Actually, her need to keep him safe caused this, if she didn't then he would have fought him with Stella and they would have wiped the floor with him, Stella would still have a parasite in her though so I guess there are ups and downs.**

**sir quest giver: Oh, he's learning.**

**hobos 4evr: Well, Marco just got nailed by Paul and is going down fast, I think that about sums it up.**

**troll face: I'll be sure to tell all my friends.**

**Zachson: Thank you but I don't think it was that amazing.**

**i stay 12 4evr: I'm curious about why you like 49.**

**starco 4evah: I'm also knoticing that a lot of reviews are from guests right now … not that it's a bad thing or anything, just peculiar.**

**mr face: I've actually read it a while ago.**

**Mr: I don't want to think about that right now.**

**Mr. Sighs a lot: I try to update when I can.**

**Disclaimer: You actually called yourself disclaimer? That makes things a little confusing.**

**Guest: When I can.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(?)

Everything was quiet, except the sound of wind, through what I assumed was trees. I slowly began to open my eyes to see that I was in a forest of some kind; only it gave me a sense of unease. "Glad to see you've finally woke up." A voice said from somewhere. I looked around and found a boy, with ghost white hair and a white hoodie, standing in front of me.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"I've been standing here for a while." He said as he helped me up. "You're the one who didn't notice me."

"Sure." I replied. "So where are we?"

"I haven't the foggiest." He replied.

As he looked around I noticed that he had a black lantern in his hand that wasn't lit. "What's with the lantern?"

"This?" He asked as he held it up. "It's nothing really … well, it's nothing anymore. Now all it holds are memories."

"So why do you have it?"

"I use it for what it is, a lantern to guide me between my destinations."

"But it's not lit." I replied.

He shook his head. "Not that kind of destination, now what are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure." I said as I scratched my head. "One moment I was fighting …" My eyes went wide. "I was fighting Paul … and I was losing." I turned back to this stranger. "I'm not dead, am I?"

"I sure hope not, because if you were then I would be dead as well." He said with a smile. "Don't fret, a lot of people find themselves here unexpectedly." He looked around. "This place it's … strange."

I reached into my hoodie and pulled out my dimensional scissors. "Either way, I need to get back." I tried to open a portal to Mewni but nothing happened. I looked at the scissors for a moment than after assuming that I might be on Mewni, tried to open a portal to Earth but still nothing happened. "That's strange." I said as I looked at my scissors. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"What are you trying to do?" He asked.

"I'm trying to open a portal back to Earth or Mewni." I stopped then looked at the boy, who appeared confused. "I know it sounds crazy but just trust me, these can open portals to other dimensions."

"Yeah, that's probably not going to work here." He replied. "This place … it's … different."

"That doesn't make sense." I said as I put them away. I froze for a bit, then sighed. "I'm sorry, I never even asked your name."

He smiled and offered a hand. "My name is Caeca."

I shook his hand. "My name is Marco, Marco Diaz. It's nice to meet you … Ca-u-ku?"

He laughed slightly. "Please, call me Kie, it's what my … it's what people call me nowadays."

"Then Kie it is." I replied.

He nodded. "Now you said you were fighting someone named Paul?"

"Yeah, and I was losing." I answered. "And after all the preparations I did … I guess he simply was better than me."

"Why were you fighting him then?" Kie asked. "I mean if you knew he was better than you, shouldn't you avoid a fight?"

"It wasn't that simple." I replied. "I had to fight him; there was just too much riding on it."

"Enough that you would put your life on the line?" He asked.

"I didn't want to, but I honestly didn't have much of a choice, when you fight there's always a chance that you will lose."

He sighed. "Follow me." He said as he walked away.

I followed him as he led me deeper into the forest. "So where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular." He replied. "But if we're going to talk then I would rather do it while on my way to my previous destination."

"Which is?"

He shook his head. "Nowhere in particular."

I rolled my eyes as I caught up to him. As I followed him, I couldn't shake the strange feeling I was getting. "So … how did I get here exactly?"

"There are many ways to reach this forest but no one knows how … well … some know but not many." He replied as he continued walking. "Now about that fight, if it was so important, why didn't you make sure you won?"

"I did everything I could." I replied. "I made it a fair fight, but he still managed to get the upper hand."

He looked at me, confused. "So … it wasn't that important?"

I shook my head in annoyance that I had to repeat the same thing again. "Of course it was important, I just couldn't win."

"Well if it was important then you should have won." He stated, as though it were a fact.

I shook my head, a little more annoyed. "It doesn't' work that way, if I can't win then-"

"Fix the fight?" He interrupted. "A fight with rules that you chose not to break is a fight that doesn't matter."

I let out a small laugh. "It's not that simple, I have a sense of honor to uphold."

"So your honor is more important than your life?"

"Not that kind of honor." I replied. "It's like … there's someone who's trying to protect me but I keep trying to prove to them that I don't need protecting. I need to beat this guy fair and square to prove that I was right."

He face palmed. "Two things, one; no, you don't. Two; you lost, fair and square so by your own words, you need this person to protect you."

"I don't need her to keep me safe, she needs me to keep her safe."

"Do you know what hypocrisy means?"

"I'm not being a hypocrite!" I retorted. "She thinks that I need to be protected like a child and tries to lead me on wild goose chases and put others in danger to keep me safe; but she's in over her head and, although she's strong and talented, she could really use my help."

"Sounds to me like you're the one being overprotective."

I sighed. "I'm not being overprotective … I just couldn't stand to live in a world without her." I stopped walking and looked down. "I even said that I didn't want anything else to do with her, but … I just can't go back to life without her."

"Sounds like you're in love with her."

"I'm not in love with her!" I exclaimed. "She's my best friend and she's a princess from another dimension who can do just about anything she wants. I'm surprised she's even my friend to begin with."

Kie looked at me like I had just said something stupid. "So … who are you trying to lie to?" I looked at him, confused. "You're clearly lying to someone. Are you trying to lie to me or yourself?"

"Why would you think I'm trying to lie to anyone?" I asked.

"Because you're failing to lie to me." He shook his head. "Look, I just met you so I'm not going to press you on that, but here's the question; do you want to see her again?"

"I …" I nodded. "Yes, I want to see her again."

He smiled then lifted up his lantern. "Then win." A blinding light appeared and before I knew it, everything went dark.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Back at the mill)

When I regained consciousness I was still falling after Paul's last attack; but this time, I wasn't going to lose. I grabbed his ring mail and held onto it with all my might.

"You still want to go?" He asked.

"No." I whispered. I looked up, then punched him in the face with my free hand. "I'm tired of this fight!" I hit him again, only this time I used my other hand to bring him to my punch at the same time. "I'm tired of wasting my time with you!" I hit him again. "I came here to do one thing." I hit him once more. "Bring you down!"

As I was about to swing at him again, he parried and hit my stomach causing me to hunch over, he then brought his elbow around and nailed me in the chest, causing me to fall to the ground. "You are a threat to Star." He said as he loomed over me. "Why don't you see that?"

"You're the one who can't see." I said as I reached under my shirt and broke off some broken scales and bits of my ring mail that had fallen. "You won't stop until Star is isolated in a prison, you're the bigger threat to her." As he walked over I threw the bits I had gathered into his face causing him to stumble a little. I took this opportunity to knee him in the groin, then bring my elbow down on the top of his shoulder blade causing him to fall to the ground. "She's a free spirit." I said as I kicked him. "And I'm not going to let you have your way with her!"

I was about to kick him again but he raised his hand in defense. "Enough!" He exclaimed. "I concede." I leered at him as I began to breathe a sigh of relief. "I'll be honest; I didn't expect you to cheat."

"Cheat?" I asked. "How could I cheat in a fight where my life was at stake? Where my best friend's safety was at stake?"

He took a few breaths before nodding. "You're right." He replied. "Star is all that matters, honor means nothing to men like us."

"Will you stop comparing me to you?" I asked. "I keep telling you, I'm-"

"Not in love with Star?" He asked. "Don't make me laugh, I know how you feel, the only question is why do you deny it?" I walked towards him, annoyed. "Is it because you're afraid of being rejected? That she'll leave you? No, the only place that she has to go is Mewni and you want her to go there." I resisted the urge to kick him. "Is it because you don't want to lose her friendship? You've been willing to toss that aside to protect her."

"Shut up!" I exclaimed.

"Or is it that your diluted enough to think that she will actually say yes and have all the justification she'll need to keep you as far away from any threats as possible."

"I SAID SHUT-" I was interrupted by Paul stabbing something sharp into the side of my gut. I looked down to see a needle sticking into me with Paul's hand on it. I felt a cold sensation wash over me, and then came the pain. I quickly began to stumble back as I barely managed to maintain my balance. Paul let go of the needle as I stumbled, leaving it in place and smiled as he stepped closer.

"You've taught me a valuable lesson Marco, I must do whatever it takes to keep Star safe."

I began to breathe heavily as I looked up at him. "It's too bad you'll never get a chance to apply that lesson." He looked at me strangely, before I cupped my hands and slammed them against his ears causing him to recoil violently, covering his ears. As he lowered his hands, blood began to drip out of one of them before he fell to the ground motionless.

"And that's what you get when you mess with me." I said as I looked down at him. "That's what you get when you mess with Star."

* * *

**And so ends another chapter … I don't have much else to say.**

**R&amp;R**


	61. Chapter 61

**So I know that this chapter is a little late but I have a reason, I was didn't want to update it the same time the new GF episode came out … again, and earlier this morning I was otherwise occupied. Now that that's over, let's get to the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: I will do my best but things are … getting rough.**

**WarHusky2000: Well, Kie is … one of my OC's … that answeres so much and so little if you know where to look.**

**Bigmike33321: No, when you slam your palms on someone's ears you cause damage to the inner ear, you also might blow out their ear drums which is what happened here.**

**deadshoot12345: I know, right?  
acosta perez jose Ramiro: Paul isn't dead.**

**AccurateAviator: Kie might come back but then again, he might not.**

**PureWishes02: Marco will me find … at least … he will be for the short term.**

**Kolapez: Thank you.**

**H. Mae: Wait … you don't … know who he is?**

**Guest: There's a reason for that, I don't know what it is though.**

**Guest: Then you're going to love this chapter.**

**Golden gate: … no**

**MasterTigress4444: Well, he might just be in denial … I don't know.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was standing over Paul's unconscious body; the sterilized silver needle sticking out of the side of my gut. "Marco!" Zack exclaimed as he ran over. "You going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine." I said as I pulled the needle out and pulled up my shirt, revealing that it had plunged into one of the few remaining scales I had; preventing it from going too deep. I applied pressure omit to prevent blood from pouring out, just to be safe. "I still would like to see a medic or doctor at some point in the not too distant future, but first we need to find Janna."

I looked around a bit before going to the upstairs office and sure enough, she was right by the window with a gag over her mouth. I pulled the gag off and she began to express just how ecstatic she was that I came. "Are you insane!?" She exclaimed. "You could have died! Why did you come here?"

"Glad to see you too." I said as I untied her, while maintaining pressure on my wound. "Can you stand?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that." She said as she stood up. "Was taking that needle out really such a good idea?"

"I don't want to leave sterilized silver inside my body." I replied. "Now let's get Paul to a Mewni prison before another catastrophe offers him another chance to escape."

We walked back downstairs to see that Zack had already hoisted Paul over his shoulder and was waiting for us. "So shall we go?"

I pulled out my dimensional scissors and smiled. "Let's." I cut open a portal to Mewni and we all stepped through.

When we arrived, we waited for the King; who walked down the stairs to the war room and froze when he saw us. "Is that … who I think it is?"

"You mean Paul?" I asked. "Yes, this is the assassin that wanted to kill Star."

He walked over and took Paul. "I have a cell prepared just for him."

"So how long do you think he'll remain out?" I asked. I began to feel weary as more blood began to flow from my wound.

The King noticed this and addressed me. "Why don't you visit the infirmary, they should be able to patch you up."

"Thank you, I will." I began walking out of the room as Zack and Janna followed.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was in the Mewni dungeon, along with Marcus and Kevin, after the successful capture of Michel. "I still think it would have been safer if I were there." I noted. "Sure, everything worked out in the end, but it might have been too much of a risk."

"He brought a bad reputation to our people." Kevin replied. "He made this personal for all of us, so we are grateful for your decision to stay out of it."

I smiled. "I suppose … now all that's left is for Marco to return with Paul."

"If he wins." Marcus replied.

"If?" I asked as I turned to Marcus. "Marco's going to win, he has to win, there is no 'if' about it."

"Fine, fine." Marcus said as he held up his hands in defense.

We continued walking deeper into the dungeon until I saw something that was a little bit strange, Mathew was at Lannister's cell and the two of them were talking about something. "Is that … Mathew?" I asked.

I was about to walk closer until Marcus pushed Kevin and I to the side. "Shh." He whispered.

I was confused at what Marcus was up to, but tried to do my best to listen in. "I'm sorry this had to happen big brother." Mathew stated. "I wish this could have gone another way."

"But there's no way that this way is the way, that's the way of the way." Lannister replied. "By the way, how's mom?"

"Mom is fine, a little worried about you, but she's fine."

"And dad?"

Mathew shook his head. "He … I think you know what happened to him."

"And … how am I?"

Mathew looked up at him. "You're in a cell."

Lannister laughed. "No no no, how am 'I'?"

Mathew paused. "You're doing all right … maybe a little broken, but you'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

"Let's leave them alone." Marcus whispered as we slowly began to back up.

As we began making our way out of the dungeon we ended up bumping into my father who was standing in front of one of the cells. "Star." He greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Just dropping off Michel." I replied. "Turns out, he was the one pretending to be Lannister the whole time."

"Ah." He replied. "I have no idea who that is but it's good that everything is taken care of."

"Almost." I replied as I looked down slightly. "There's still Paul."

My father was curious for a moment before taking a step away from the cell. "You mean him?" He asked as he pointed to the person in the cell.

I looked over to see Paul, asleep, on the floor. "How … when did-"

"Marco came in with him earlier, he's still in the infirmary if you want to talk to him."

I ran past my father and began making my way to the infirmary. Everything was finally over and now Marco and I could finally get back to where we were before this whole mess started. When I arrived a the infirmary door, I froze for a moment when I saw Janna sitting across from Marco. I quickly continued onward before anyone could see me. "That's right." I reminded myself. "He's dating Janna now … I should … I shouldn't interrupt."

* * *

**Okay, first thing's first, there's a chance that I won't be updating next week on account of not finding a job has forced me to take on more hours with my part time job which does a great job of sucking out my soul. Thankfully, I make backups but without a single day off, it's going to be hard. In other news, someone mentioned a site to me called inkitt where I can also post stories. I've been considering it and the only reason I mention it is because I need to get my word count for this chapter up.**

**R&amp;R**


	62. Chapter 62

**I bet you all didn't expect to see this today, even though this story is supposed to be updated on Mondays usually. Point is I have a lot of reviews to get through and I have to go out soon so I will have to cut the formal chitchat and get right to the reviews.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Your welcome.**

**Finnjr63: Thank you.**

**H. Mae: Thank's, and what's wrong with Mathew? I mean it's not like he can do anything from where he is.**

**SmittyTheories: Oscar would probably do the second if anything else, sadly, I don't plan for an epic climatic battle like that.**

**SmittyTheories: That would be an interesting story idea, why havn't you set up an acout and started writing?**

**syia14: Well … here's the next chapter and I already have the next one done so I just have to work on the one after that one and it shouldn't take so long though seeing as things aren't as annoying as they were before.**

**Guest: Well you'll get more.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

With all that had happened today, I was more than happy to finally get home. Were it not for the fact that I had promised Janna I would go with her to the Blue Moon dance, I would probably stay here. I was currently sitting on my bed, with a few hours left before the dance started, thinking about something Paul had said. "Do I really love Star?" I asked myself. "I mean … she's my best friend … right?" I was at an end with myself, sure Star was my best friend but we've been through a lot together and I just can't imagine what my life would be like if I had never met her. "Sure I wanted to protect her, but do I really want to spend the rest of my life with her?" I looked over to the clock and saw that it was still only four. "I can't believe that the day still isn't over." I said to myself. "I mean the sun is still out, how is it only four?"

"Time flies when you're beating the crap out of goons." I heard someone say from my door.

I looked over to see Stella, leaned up against the frame, with a smile on her face. "Stella!" I exclaimed as I stood up. "How are you doing?"

"Good enough to get some payback on Paul … if you haven't already tossed him into a cell."

I let out a small laugh. "Sorry, took him down earlier, wasn't easy though."

"I bet." She replied as she walked in. "Honestly though, I feel as though I should thank him, I've felt so much better since that parasite was knocked out of me." She took a seat on my bed and I sat next to her. "By the way, any luck on that?"

I shrugged. "I haven't found much, only that it causes addictions then feeds off the hormone created by it or something."

"That would explain so much." She replied.

"It also caused your outbursts of uncontrollable rage, and if left unchecked, would … hatch from your body and … I didn't read any farther than that."

"Define hatch."

"It would have burst from your body, turning you into a pile of human parts."

She was frozen for a moment. "That's … unsettling."

"A little." I replied. "So, on a more pleasant note; I heard that you and Marcus are a thing."

"What?" She asked incredulously. "Marcus and I are not a 'thing' I only asked him to the dance because I didn't want to go alone."

"So … you two aren't dating?"

"Not by a long shot." She replied. "Sure he's a nice guy ... but he's just … not my type."

"You have a type?"

She gave me a playful leer and pretended to punch my shoulder.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was going through my closet trying to find the perfect dress for tonight; it had to be amazing, but it couldn't be too amazing for obvious reasons. "Why must this be so hard?" I asked myself. "I'm just going to the Blue Moon dance with a close friend of mine, why does this have to be so difficult?"

I walked over to my bed and sat down. "I wish I found out about this sooner, that would make this choice so much easier." I let out a sigh and looked at my mirror. "Maybe … maybe I shouldn't have been trying to protect him so much." I sighed. "We might still be friends if I did." I sighed, then walked back to my closet and pulled out a dark blue dress. "Maybe … I should just tell him the truth and be done with it."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later that night)

Stella and I were in the minivan, driving to pick up Janna and Marcus;. Star had opted to go and get Mathew on her own and good thing too, because there was no way the van was going to fit the six of us plus a driver. We had just arrived at Marcus's house and Stella got out to get him. "So, I heard that you and Star had an argument." My dad noted.

"We've had a lot of arguments in the past few weeks, you're going to have to be more specific." I answered.

My father laughed. "You two remind me of your mother and I when we were your age."

"We're not dating." I answered. "We're just friends; she doesn't even like me that way."

"Did you ask her?"

I looked away. "No … but she doesn't realize that she doesn't have to handle everything on her own." I sighed. "She doesn't need to do everything herself."

"Sounds like you really care about her."

I was silent for a moment as I tried to figure things out. "Well … yeah, I care about her."

"Enough to use that monster thing to help you protect her." My dad stated, causing my head to turn in his direction. "You're not someone who can keep things from his old man Marco."

I turned away. "So … how long have you known?"

"I hear you talking to yourself from time to time, you mention Monster Arm every now and then so I can only assume that's who you were talking too."

I turned away. "So … are you mad?"

"It's not the craziest thing you've done since Star came to Earth." He replied. "All the same, it sounds to me like she's not the only one who wants to carry the world on her shoulders."

I was about to say something but Stella returned to the car, along with Marcus. "Sorry it took so long Marcus noted. "Pictures and all that."

"Of course." My father replied. "Now let's be off, we still have one more person to pick up."

I let out a quiet sigh as we drove off to pick up Janna. The drive was relatively quiet and I was more nervous than ever. We eventually reached her house and I was hesitant to get out of the car. "Well … here I go." I stated before opening the car door. I walked up to her door and was hesitant to knock. As I reached my hand out though, the door opened revealing Janna in a light blue sleeveless dress that trailed down to her heals. "Janna!" I exclaimed as my throat dried up. "You look … um …"

She giggled at my loss for words. "You don't have to say anything." She said as she opened the screen door and walked out. "I know the only reason your taking me is because we had a deal."

"You did ask." I replied. "So were you waiting for me or …"

"I had a good spot at the window; my parents are out so there wasn't much to do."

"All right then." I took her hand and led her to the car. "You look lovely by the way, and I do mean that."

"Why thank you Marco, you don't look too bad yourself."

* * *

(Star's POV)

Mathew and I had just arrived at the school, so early that they were still setting some stuff up. "I guess we should have waited a little." I stated.

"I don't mind waiting a little while if that's what you're worried about." Mathew replied. "I'm just glad that you decided to give me the honor of letting me be your date."

"Thank you for saying yes." I replied.

We walked over to the counter and waited for them to finally open; as we waited, Marco and the others arrived. "Hi guys!" I greeted.

"Hi Star." Stella replied.

"Yo." Marcus added.

"You lot arrived here early as well?" Mathew asked.

"What did you expect?" Marco asked. "My dad wanted to leave shortly after Star did."

"Ah." I replied.

I turned back around to look at the table where they were setting up the register to see that they had put an open signee on it. "Oh, looks like they're ready!" I exclaimed. "Come on, let's get going!" I grabbed Mathew's arm and he soon began resisting.

"I actually need to use the bathroom really quick." He stated.

"What?" I asked. "But they just got ready."

"I won't be long, go in without me."

"But … I can't let you go in alone."

"We can wait for him." Janna offered as Marco slowly turned to look at her incredulously.

I looked back to Mathew who was almost jumping up and down. "Well … all right then." I said as Mathew ran off to the bathroom. Marcus, Stella, and I walked up to the table and showed them our tickets.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

"Why did you volunteer us to stay behind?" I asked.

"It seemed like the nice thing to do." Janna replied. "Not to mention it gives us some time to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"About us." She replied.

I had a bad feeling about where this was going, but went along with it anyway. "Is there a problem with us?" I asked.

"I know you don't want to be here with me."

I sighed. "Look Janna, I don't mind being here with you and I have a deal that I have to hold up."

"Which means you owe me at least one dance." She stated. "One dance, think you can do that?"

I was a bit suspicious about what she was up to. "Well … yeah, I can do that."

"Good." She replied.

Shortly after, Mathew returned from the bathroom with an eager expression. "Are we ready then?" He asked.

I nodded then proceeded to walk over to the table. I handed the lady our tickets and Mathew handed her his as well. "Thank you Mathew." She stated. "How's your younger brother doing?"

"Lannister?" He asked. "He's … he's as good as he can be I guess." He replied. "Honestly, I don't know, can we not talk about it?"

"My apologies." The lady replied. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's all right." Mathew said as he handed her his ticket.

We continued on as I looked back. "Who was she?"

"An old friend of my mom." Mathew replied as we reached the gym. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Star." And with that, he rushed off.

"I guess he was in a hurry to find Star." Janna replied.

"He shouldn't have that much trouble that he has to run off on his own." I added as I looked at the mostly empty gym. "There's hardly anyone here."

"From what I heard they have food set up in the cafeteria." Janna began. "You want to grab something to eat while we wait for this to gather some momentum?"

"Yeah, good idea."

* * *

(No one's POV)

Marcus and Stella were just outside the gym under the night sky; the dance was still building momentum and Marcus had the idea to take it easy for a moment. "There sure are a lot of stars out tonight." Marcus said as he looked up. "And you can still see the moon, that's better than the last time we had a blue moon, I remember it was so damn overcast that you couldn't even tell."

"Do you like me?" Stella asked.

Marcus looked at her surprised and confused. "Wow … um … where is this-"

"A lot of people think we're dating just because we went to this dance and I want to know where it came from."

"It came from some random person most likely." Marcus replied. "I mean I don't hate you but … I'm not in love with you or anything."

"Because you are in love with someone else." She finished.

Marcus sighed. "Is this what that's about?" He asked. "You want to know about the girl I fell in love with?"

"No." She replied. "I want to know how to get over someone who doesn't like you back."

Marcus was silent for a moment. "I see … you like Marco."

"I know that I blew my chance with him a long time ago but … when I first heard that I was coming back here, I thought that I would have the chance to get together with him." She began to kick a pebble in front of her. "I soon realized that it wasn't going to happen, he moved on and he doesn't even realize it." She sighed. "How did you get over your feelings?"

Marcus smiled. "Well … one does not 'get over' Faith, she is so caring and so innocent, she even said … that she wanted to know more about my fireworks … I thought that showing her my first one would mean something big but … point is, I'm not over her so I'm not the one to ask about this."

"Oh." Stella looked back at the ground with a sad look in her eye.

Marcus felt bad and began to take a deep breath. "She fell in love with someone else in the end, but you want to know what? A friend once told me that the best way to move on is to feel happy for the person you love, it's what you should do if you truly love them."

Stella was quiet for a moment until she smiled. "You heard about the whole, special dance for two, thing tonight?"

"Yes." Marcus replied hesitantly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Let's rig it."

Marcus's eyes went wide as he began to sweat a little. "You don't honestly mean … but we can't … I mean we shouldn't … it's too much work for something that we don't need to do?"

"You don't sound too sure of yourself." Stella replied with a grin.

Marcus sighed. "You had better have a plan."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(A short time later)

Janna and I had returned from the cafeteria and found that a number of people had arrived and the dance was in full swing. "Looks like we didn't need that second dish after all." I noted.

"You were the one who said that they were still hungry." Janna replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, at least I decided against it."

We began walking to the dance floor just as a song began to end. As we reached the crowd, the next song began to play and it was a bit slower than I expected for something this soon. "Already?" I asked.

"Looks like I get that dance sooner than expected." Janna noted.

I rolled my eyes and Janna wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. I let out a sigh and wrapped my arms around her back and we began moving in rhythm to the music. "I'm glad you managed to win." She stated as we danced. "I was worried that you wouldn't be able to pay up on our agreement."

"I'm a man of my word." I said as I looked away slightly. "Not to mention I like living, so there's that."

"What happened by the way?" She asked. "When you were hit and began falling down; you … froze for like … ten seconds then began beating the crap out of him."

I thought back to my time in the strange forest or whatever hallucination I was having, it couldn't have been real, right? But then again, why would I hallucinate someone who's name I couldn't even pronounce? "I had a realization." I answered. "I realized that I couldn't afford to lose the fight."

"You make it sound so simple." She said with a smile. "Or maybe you just realized how much you care about Star."

"Seriously?" I asked. "Now you're doing it?"

"Oh, relax." She replied. "I'm just messing with you." I rolled my eyes playfully and smiled. "I don't need to speculate to know that you are in love with her."

"What?!" I asked incredulously. "I'm-"

"You hate me Marco … or you hated me, but as soon as this whole mess started with the cult, all I had to do was give you some information that would help Star and you were suddenly willing to go out with me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why."

"I don't hate you." I replied. "Sure I use to think you were a little … out there … but I never hated you."

"You don't like me though." She retorted. "Not like you like Star."

I sighed. "Star is … we're going through some rough patches right now."

"You can't even tell that all this pushing you two apart is actually causing you two to be closer."

"Janna."

"Just stop lying to yourself Marco, it's time we both stop pretending to be something we're not." Soon after, the song stopped and Janna walked away leaving me at a loss.

"What am I supposed to do about that?" I asked. "Star's a princess, I could never be with her."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed, now for breakfast.**

**R&amp;R**


	63. Chapter 63

**I was on the fence about updating this chapter today; sure keeping you all in the dark for an extra week would be bad but I'm not going to be able to update next week for what I would hope would be obvious reasons so … well … this chapter … might make you wish I had waited an extra week. Now for the reviews.**

**deadshoot12345: Yeah, that is more or less what he said.**

**Exodis: I want to avoid using Ludo since the season finally so if there is one it's not going to be from him.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: You would think that someone would see this coming but no one has shown any knowledge of knowing the secret I have planned.**

**Finnjr63: Not trying to hide much at this point, I'm going to put all my chips on the table … okay; I still have a few more left over.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: You can say that again.**

**MasterTigress4444: Like a ton of bricks.**

**Smitty Theories: Farethewell friend from another reality.**

**Guest: Don't let your excitement spoil your grammar friend.**

**Guest: I will update when the update is ready for updating.**

**Lupus Boulevard: I just want to say that this chapter was done before the last one was posted and I'm not saying why I said that. Also, this story got too out of hand; the cult stole it and ran away with most of the plot. I'm working on getting it back from them.**

**infered5: But there is an update.**

**jontron23088: I'm surprised that so many people are reading this story so fast … it really amazes me.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Roy, Mathew, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I was standing there at a loss for words, contemplating what I would do next; sure, I had feelings for Star but how on earth was I supposed to tell my best friend that I wanted to make something more out of our relationship when the last thing I told her was that I wanted nothing more to do with her? "This can't get much worse." I told myself.

I began walking until I reached the punch bowl. "I never understood these things until now." I said as I poured myself a cup.

"So you're hiding by the punch bowl too?" I heard someone ask from right beside me. I looked over to see Jackie standing there with a cup of punch.

"Yup." I replied.

She was quiet for a moment before she took a sip of her punch. "Problems with your date?"

"You might say that." I said before taking another sip.

"You want to talk about it?"

I sighed. "Janna thinks that I'm in love with Star."

Jackie turned to look at me. "Are you?" She inquired.

I looked into my cup and watched the ripples crash into each other. "Possibly, it doesn't really matter though seeing as she's a princess."

"So you're going to just give up?"

"Do you have a better idea?" I retorted. "If I tell her, she might hate me; worse, she might feel the same way. There's no possible way the two of us could be a thing."

Jackie sighed and shook her head. "Marco … what is Star to you exactly?"

I looked at her, confused. "Well … she's a princess from another dimension who inspired an entire cult of-"

"No that is who she is in general." She interrupted. "I asked who she is to you."

I bit my lower lip and looked down in thought. "Well … she's my best friend."

"So then how would you treat your best friend if you realized that you loved them?"

I waited for a moment before sighing. "I … I guess I owe it to her then." I pushed myself away from the table and threw my empty cup in the garbage. "Thanks for the talk Jackie."

"No problem Marco." She replied before I walked off.

* * *

(Star's POV)

Mathew and I were in the center of the crowd and one of the songs had just ended, leaving somewhat of a calm before the next one picked up. "Thank you again for asking me Star." Mathew stated.

"I'm the one who should be thankful." I replied. "If someone had already asked you out then I would be alone right now."

He looked away slightly with a sad look on his face. "Yeah … I don't get many people asking me out, you had nothing to worry about."

I felt a twinge of guilt come over me as I heard this, I remember that Mathew had feelings for me and that most likely affected his chances to get dates with many other girls. On top of the fact that I already told him that I was in love with Marco, he must be torn apart right now and he still agreed to go with me. In fact, the more I thought about him the more I felt like I was doing the right thing by coming here with Mathew, given I wasn't in love with him, but it did get me thinking a little. Mathew was a nice guy, the way he acted was somewhat cute, and he would do anything for me, even turn against his own brother given his brother was evil but still. I decided that I needed some time to think on it so as the next song started, I excused myself. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the Ladies' room really quick." I stated.

I walked away from Mathew and began to consider it. "He's definitely a step up from Oscar." I said to myself. "I think that's as far as he gets though." I sighed. "But I could give him a shot."

I walked alone for a while in the crowd of people dancing around me until I thought I heard someone call my name. I turned around and looked, but didn't see anyone looking for me. "That's odd." I said before going back to wandering. I heard my name called again only this time, I was sure I wasn't hearing things. I turned around and began to scan for anyone who it might be but I still couldn't find anyone. "Is someone pulling my leg?" I asked as I began searching.

As I was searching, I was caught off guard when Marco came in from my left and began panting, as if out of breath. "You move awfully fast, you know that?" He asked.

"Marco!" I exclaimed. "Wait … you were looking for me?"

"Yeah." He began. "I need to talk to you about something … important."

A bad feeling formed in my gut, I knew this couldn't be a good thing and one of the most likely things it could be was him wanting to end our friendship. "I can't right now." I replied as I tried to get away.

"It's important." Marco said as he tried to catch up to me. "And I mean really important and it can't wait."

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" I asked as I continued to try and get away.

"Yes!" Marco exclaimed as he tried to chase after me. "Just … Stop!" Marco grabbed my wrist just as the DJ began to talk again.

"All right everyone, it's now time for the Blue Moon couples dance, so grab that special someone and hold tight because in just a few moments, one lucky couple will have the opportunity to be the first to dance under the blue moon."

"I need to go." I said as I broke free from Marco.

"I'm sorry." He said before I got too far away. I stopped and turned around to look at him. "I've … I'm not saying that everything is my fault but things couldn't have gotten this messed up between us unless both of us were being over protective … and at least you had a reason to be." I walked closer to him, intrigued by what he was saying. "I shouldn't have been so reckless and try to take on everything by myself, we're a team and … I should have acted like I was a part of that team instead of trying to fly solo."

I felt a knot form in my stomach. "No, I shouldn't have forced you to stay behind."

"I still could have dealt with it better." He replied. "I understand that I'm not as strong as you and I just didn't want … I didn't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden!" I retorted. "You're my best friend! I just … didn't want to see you get hurt." I turned away slightly. "I could have gone about it better.

"Maybe a little." Marco said with a chuckle. "Um … there's … also something else I wanted to tell you."

Before he could say anything else, all the lights instantly dimmed and a spot light was shining on us. We both looked around for a moment before I realized what was going on. When the music started playing Marco and I slowly wrapped our arms around each other and began swaying back and forth. "I can't believe this is happening again." I said as we danced.

"If I didn't know any better I would say that someone manipulated this." Marco replied. "But that aside … there's still something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I asked as I felt my heart rate begin to pick up.

"I …" He took a deep breath and continued. "You're a magical princess from another dimension, and you're also my best friend, but for the past few days, I forgot the second part."

"Marco." I said softly.

"As such I … I'm sorry that I said that I don't want anything to do with you." He began. "You're my best friend, I shouldn't be mad because you don't want to be protected, that's part of who you are and it's also part of why I like you as much as I do." I felt my heart skip a beat as we drifted closer together and held each other. "I don't know what I would do without you." He placed his head right next to mine and I felt a tear land on my shoulder. "I … I love you Star."

My eyes went wide as I felt every part of my body begin to go numb; before the paralysis could fully take me however, I took a deep breath and relaxed myself. I separated from him slightly and looked into his eyes, he looked confused and slightly sad until I smiled and pressed my lips against his. I wasn't sure if it was the shock or my magic that caused him to tense up but I could tell that he was enjoying it. I for one was really enjoying the moment and Marco only started to relax when I separated from him. He stood there in shock with his mouth still open like his brain hadn't fully registered what had happened. "I guess it's still quite stunning even if it doesn't paralyze you."

"Yeah." He said slowly. "So … this means …"

I rested my head on his chest. "I don't know what I would do without you either Marco." I whispered.

I felt his arm wrap around me. "So the reason you stuck me to a wall last Sunday wasn't just because you were in Mewberty again, was it?"

My eyes shot open and I blushed slightly. "Um … how about we agree that we forget about that particular incident?"

Marco laughed. "Sure, but only if we also agree not to try and protect each other like we've been trying for the past few weeks."

"I can agree to that." I replied.

We continued to dance until the music finally stopped and we stood there taking it all in; it seemed like all the problems of the real world were miles away and it was only the two of us. Sadly though, real life quickly caught up and it wasn't long before I noticed Mathew was standing only five feet away looking directly at us. "Oh no." I said as I watched him take a few steps back. Marco turned around just in time to see Mathew vacate the area and turned back a little concerned.

"Oh no." He said a little worried. "I am so sorry, I forgot you were here with him."

"Don't worry." I said as I let go of him. "He knew how I felt, so I'll just talk to him really quickly and get this all straightened out."

"Want me to come with you?" Marco asked as I began to walk away.

"All things considered, I don't think your presence will help the situation." I replied. "Don't worry, just trust me on this."

Marco took a quick breath and nodded. "I trust you."

I smiled and began trying to follow Mathew.

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I watched Star run off in search of Mathew before making my way back to the punch table; when I got there I leaned against the nearest wall then grasped my chest as I tried to ease my frantic heart rate. "Holy!" I exclaimed as I began to gasp for air. I could still feel the tingling on my lips from when she kissed me; and I had realized that it wasn't her magic that caused my loss of motor control earlier seeing as I could feel it only just now reaching my heart and getting pumped throughout my body. Breathing became harder as my muscles forgot how to interpret the signals from my brain and began twitching violently, as if in a state of panic. "Okay, deep breaths, come on." I said as I tried to get a handle on my body. I eventually managed to get my breathing under control, even if my heart rate wasn't. I also managed to calm my legs down but they were still shaking somewhat.

"You look like you've just had quite the experience." I heard someone joke. I looked over to see Marcus walking towards me with a smile on his face.

"So what if I did?" I asked as I tried to get the rest of me under control.

Marcus leaned against the wall next to me and smiled. "So all this time you really did have a thing for Star."

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess I was just too proud to admit it." I froze as I realized something. "Wait a minute … how did you know about that when we only got together less than ten minutes ago?"

Marcus froze then began scratching his head. "Well … I just assumed that … well …" He began looking around. "Um … magic?"

I stared at him for a moment before I realized what happened. "You manipulated the spot light, didn't you?"

"It was Stella's idea!" He defended.

I sighed and smiled. "Well, tell her I said thank you." I looked over the dance floor as I finally began to calm down. "It was actually completely unnecessary because I was going to confess to her anyway."

"You keep telling yourself that." Marcus replied. "So where is Star anyway? I figured that you would be with her after … I didn't actually see, but still."

"Mathew saw us." I replied. "She's going to explain it to him and let him down easy. Not something she really needs help with."

"Ah, I see." Marcus said with a nod. "I kinda feel bad for Mathew, first his older brother goes insane and now he loses the girl he loves right in front of him."

"I guess." I replied. "He had to know it was-" I paused then looked at him a little confused. "What did you just say?"

"He lost the girl he loves right in front of him?"

I shook my head. "Before that."

Marcus thought to himself for a moment. "The part about his older brother?"

"Mathew's the older brother." I replied.

Marcus looked to the side for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I heard him talking to Lannister, he referred to him as his 'big brother.'"

I began thinking to myself and things began to make less sense. "That's not right, earlier today, we bumped into someone who knew Mathew's family and they said that Mathew was the older and Lannister was the younger." I thought to myself for a moment. "When did you talk to him?"

"I didn't." Marcus replied. "I overheard him talking to Lannister, Star can back this up, she heard him as well."

I began thinking to myself some more. "Did he know you were there?"

Marcus shook his head. "We left before he could notice us."

My eyes went wide as I realized exactly what was going on. "Oh no." I said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked.

"I need to find Star." I said before running off.

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Meanwhile)

I was following Mathew to try and explain things to him; I felt bad about what happened and knew that I had to talk to him. It was hard but I finally managed to catch up to him a short distance away from the gym. "Mathew!" I exclaimed as I grabbed his arm. "Look, I'm sorry, I know that I did agree to go to the dance with you and …" I sighed. "I'm sorry.

He turned around and looked at me. "Star." He said as he took both of my hands in his.

"I wish I could have told you first but things kinda just … happened."

"It's all right Star." He said with a smile. "I understand."

I smiled and felt a weight lift off my shoulders. "Really?"

"Yes, in fact, I'm happy for you." I felt my hands begin to burn where he was holding. Before I could make a sound, I felt a searing pain that forced my scream to get stuck in my throat. "After all, you delivered yourself right into my hands."

* * *

**Remember, I'm not updating next week, happy holidays!**

**R&amp;R**


	64. Chapter 64

**It's finally here, after all this waiting, the chapter you've all been waiting for is finally here. Now I know I was supposed to get it up yesterday but cut me some slack, I was at work for most of the day and sleeping for the other part. Now let's cut the chit chat and get to the reviews.**

**AccurateAviator: Well your about to find out but just remember, you want his life to end.**

**Your Luca: Thank you.**

**PROJECT K: Sorry, it was the holidays.**

**Finnjr63: Well, Lannister just captured Star and now Marco is running towards her in the hopes of saving her in time.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Mind blown: Yeah, that's where I got the idea for Stella.**

**Boomer: Really.**

**Smitty Theories: Expected? Sure I laid down a lot of hints but expected?**

**WarHusky2000: It's about to be cleared up.**

**deadshoot12345: Tuesday.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: You still has bad feeling? Well I was the one who wrote this so … that's probably a safe bet.**

**Thomas-Rider: … wow … thank you … really, thank you.**

**Blevinp: I know.**

**MasterTigress4444: That's my middle name.**

**H. Mae: Yes, that was the proofe that Mathew wasn't bad and to understand it, you will have to read this chapter.**

**Treehax: Yeah, this story went on longer than I expected.**

**Janelle: I can only go so fast.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I continued to stand, trying to free my hands as Mathew continued to burn them. "I was so close too … looks like it's time for plan B."

"Why are you doing this?" I begged. "I thought you were my friend, you were helping me!"

"Yes, I was." He said as he let go, I wanted to grab for my wand but the pain was so severe I couldn't even close them. "And I will now tell you my whole plan as I put you in a death trap and leave you completely unsupervised." He smirked. "Do you think I'm as stupid as Roy?" He pulled out his dimensional scissors and looked at them. "There are still enough variables to allow for your escape, minuscule yes, but I'm not going to do anything to derail my plan."

I leered at him as I tried to move my hands. "Lannister got to you, didn't he?"

He laughed. "It's not that simple Star, but you'll understand soon."

"Then what's your endgame?" I asked. "What do you have to gain by doing this?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I thought you should have figured that out at the very least." He looked at me with a stare that made me very uncomfortable. "I find your power … intoxicating, so much so that I want it for myself."

"How do you plan to do that?" I asked. "It's not like …" My eyes went wide in horror. "You … you plan to turn me into Lannister?"

He smiled. "Oh, now you're catching on."

I took a few steps back and bumped into the lockers. "You're sick."

"I've done a lot of horrible things Star." He began as he walked towards me. "And I am proud … of none of them."

Just then, a long purple tentacle came out of nowhere and sent Mathew flying. I looked over to see where the tentacle came from and saw Marco standing there, furious as ever. "MARCO!" I exclaimed as I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"I'm just glad that I managed to get here in time." He replied as he hugged me back.

"Speaking of which." Mathew said as he got to his feet and Marco and I turned to look at him. "How did you find out I was up to something?"

"Because Marcus overheard your conversation with your brother." Marco replied.

"I see." Mathew replied as he looked away. "I should have known … damn him."

I looked between Mathew and Marco confused. "Wait a minute; I don't get it, what's going on?"

"He," Marco began as he pointed to Mathew. "Referred to his brother as 'older' but Mathew is the older brother so what does that make him?"

I began thinking as Mathew walked over to a locker and slammed his fist against it forcing it open; as he reached in and pulled out two wooden swords ... I realized what had happened. "It can't be."

"It can be." He said as he walked towards us. "Mathew was the first person tested on … he was so willing too, he helped his younger brother with his growing insanity. Too bad the formula was so unstable, he became insane all too quickly and doesn't even know who he is anymore."

"And you've been impersonating him ever since." I finished.

"You're smarter than you look." Lannister replied. "Then again … that's not saying much." He began charging at us as Marco charged at him; the two of them clashed for a moment as I quickly ripped off a strip of my dress in order to wrap my hands, it still hurt but it enabled me to grab my wand and point it at him. "Hydro blast!" I exclaimed causing a stream of water to erupt from my wand. Marco dodged out of the way just in time, but Lannister jumped over it completely and landed on the other side of us. As he stood there, he swung both of his swords; causing two fire crescents to fire in our direction. I raised my wand again and created a bubble shield which blocked the fire; but when the smoke cleared, Lannister was standing right there and with one swing, destroyed the shield, then came at me. Before I could react, Marco intercepted him and grabbed him with his monster arm and slammed him against the wall before letting go and grasping his now normal arm in pain.

"I can't hold him." Marco said as I noticed the smoke rising off of Lannister.

"Not a problem." I replied as I pointed my wand at him. "Hydro wave!" A massive wave of water erupted and went crashing towards him, when it collided with the wall and subsided I saw no sign of Lannister until I heard a shriek from Marco and saw that Lannister had done a V slash on him. "MARCO!" I exclaimed as I pointed my wand at them but before I could even get a word out, Lannister sidestepped Marco and began rushing me. "Mega-" But I was too late, Lannister appeared in front of me and was reaching for my mouth. Time began to slow down as he came closer and closer until something pulled him away and threw him into the lockers. When I finally regained my composure, I noticed Marco standing in front of me, grasping his arm which almost looked like it had smoke rising from it.

I was speechless as Marco stood there trying to catch his breath. "Well … that wasn't that hard." He said jokingly.

"I'm not done yet." Lannister replied as he got up. I pointed my wand at him but he was all ready on his feet. He dodged out of the way just as I fired another blast of water and began charging us.

"Bubble shield!" I shouted creating a shield of water to form around us again. Like before, Lannister had no problem breaking it with just one slash, but this time Marco grabbed hold of his other sword before he could raise it; leaving Lannister off balance for a moment. "Got ya!" I shouted before blasting Lannister with a blast of water.

Lannister was sent flying as Marco broke the sword over his knee. "Now give up." Marco threatened. "You've lost."

"Lost?" Lannister asked as steam began rising from him. "You think that just because I lost one of my swords means that I'm finished?" He got to his feet and took a deep breath as he took a stance, unlike before, his stance seemed to have much more purpose and he was moving around a lot less, in fact, he was completely still.

I pointed my wand at him and fired a blast of magic, but as it reached him he deflected it away with a single sword slash. I was shocked for a moment before blasting him again, only for it to have the same effect. I was at a loss for words as he began charging us with his sword out. I tried to blast him one more time, but this time he rolled to the side. When he got to his feet and began charging, Marco intercepted him and was knocked to the side with one swing. I raised my wand in defense, but the pain from the burns was starting to get worse and I couldn't concentrate. Lannister hit me, causing me to fall off balance before hitting me again and again. I lost track of the blows and eventually, I fell to the ground, barely able to lift my head. I looked up at him and he just looked down at me and smiled. As he raised his sword I began to fear the worst, until Marco jumped him from behind and began wrestling him to the ground. He got in a few good punches before a blast of fire caused him to go flying into a locker. Lannister got to his feet and rushed Marco, who was still recovering from the throw, and as he swung his sword, time seemed to slow down again. Lannister's sword began to get closer and closer and I could do nothing to stop it, Marco raised his arms in defense but that wouldn't be enough to protect him from Lannister's onslaught. As the sword collided with him however, it began to crack and before long, it had completely burst into splinters.

Lannister stood there looking at what was left of his sword until he sighed. "Oh that's right; fire does bad things to the structural integrity of wood."

Marco smirked and punched him in the chest, causing him to go flying into the lockers on the other side of the hall. I slowly made my way towards Marco and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How you doing?" I asked.

"I'll be fine." He answered.

"Don't think you've won just yet." Lannister said as he slowly got to his feet.

"Seriously?" I asked. "Stay down for once."

"Never!" He retorted as he threw the sword hilt away and fire began to engulf his hands. "I won't stop until I've gotten what I want!"

Marco and I readied ourselves for another fight until I noticed a portal open behind Lannister and a figure in a black cloak walked through. "Having trouble?" The figure asked in a voice that sounded masked by some device.

"Well if it isn't The Asset." Lannister replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that anyway to say hi?" The Asset replied. "Looks like you're about to lose."

"I'm only getting started." Lannister replied. "I don't need your help."

"Really?" The Asset asked. "You're out of henchmen, out of resources, out of plans, out of luck, out of swords, and out of tricks."

"FINE!" Lannister retorted as he turned to The Asset. "I need help, now are you going to stand there or are you going to help me?"

The Asset placed a hand on Lannister's shoulder and sighed. "You mistake my reason for being here." Lannister looked confused as The Asset continued. "You are a traitor, and now a liability."

"So?" Lannister asked.

The Asset took a breath and in one motion, took out a syringe and stabbed it into the area where Lannister's shoulder joined his neck. "I'm here to erase my master's mistake." He said as he injected the substance into Lannister. "And erase you I shall." When he was done, he removed the syringe and put it away. "Oh, and you forgot to add the catalyst to your formula, that's kinda why it took so long." He pushed Lannister away and turned away.

"You!" Lannister retorted as he tried to walk towards him only for his legs to stop. "You." He said weakly as he raised his shaking hand. "Et tu …" He pursed his lips together but he wasn't able to finish his sentence before the shaking stopped and he fell to the ground.

Marco and I were still recovering from the shock as The Asset opened another portal and left; leaving us alone with Lannister. "What just happened?" Marco asked.

* * *

**So over on tumbler someone said that this story has more words in it that Fellowship Of The Ring, now I'm still working on a counter to that but like I said, this story has taken on a life of its own and wasn't supposed to be this long. I was going to make a pseudo sequel to it by making a P&amp;F story that takes place in the same universe but … that might drag on as well.**

**R&amp;R**


	65. Chapter 65

**Did you think I forgot about all of you? Of course I haven't, it's just harder to write the closer I get to the end of a story. Also I've been playing a lot of Undertail but let's not talk about that and get to the reviews.**

**WarHusky2000: I'm glad you like it.**

**Finnjr63: I will try.**

**SonicELITE: Mathew wasn't bad, he was just forced to do bad things while his brother abused his identity to get what he wanted.**

**Smitty Theories: Words to live by my friend.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you, I will fix that as soon as I can.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: But is Marco really losing his humanity? Or is something else happening?**

**Exodis: Well yeah, I thought I was giving it away … I have to check something.**

**aliyaperez101: I am actually rushing a few parts that would take up an entire chapter, this story wasn't supposed to get this long, not even close.**

**MasterTigress4444: Thank you.**

**Yuki2311: *High five***

**Guest: Well thank you my friend.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I looked at Lannister9, then to where the portal once was. "I'm not exactly sure." I replied. I looked at Lannister, who was face down with his arm outstretched. "What did he inject into Lannister?"

Marco walked over to him and rolled him onto his back, his eyes looked dead and he was completely still. "My guess is that it was that formula that Lannister was working on." Marco noted.

"But who was in it?"

Marco looked Lannister over, then shook his head. "My guess … no one."

I knelt down beside him as Marco placed two fingers on his neck. "Well … all we need is the formula and then we can restore him and ask."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy." Marco said as he placed his ear next to Lannister's mouth. "He has no pulse and he's not breathing."

"What do you mean?" I asked, more than a little worried.

"I mean I think his brain has completely shut down." Marco looked up at me apologetically. "I … I think he's dead Star."

I looked at him as a sense of ease came over me, but that sense of ease felt wrong. Sure Lannister was a bad guy and what he did to those people, to his own brother, was wrong; but did he really deserve to die? He was still a human being after all and I felt at least somewhat responsible for his insanity, but still I couldn't help but feel happy. "Why am I happy about this?" I asked. "He was a human being; I shouldn't feel happy about his death."

"You weren't the one who killed him Star." Marco explained as he closed Lannister's eyes. "It was that asset guy that he was talking too."

"But I shouldn't be so happy about this." I replied. "He's … dead and I'm happy about it."

"After all he's done, especially to you, you deserve to be happy."

"It feels wrong." I replied. I looked over his body and sighed. "Based on the fact that someone else came and silenced him, I'm guessing there was more to this than we thought."

"GUYS!" We heard someone call out as Stella arrived from around the corner and rushed towards us. "I'm here to … you've all ready finished?" She asked, a little disappointed.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Marco replied.

Stella walked towards us and looked at Lannister lying on the ground. "So I guess he was as bad as his brother all along."

"That's not … exactly true." I replied.

"Then again, it's not that far off." Marco added. "You see, that is Lannister."

She looked at us, confused , for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"Wait up!" We heard Marcus shout from around the same place Stella came from. "Couldn't you wait for just one moment?" He looked over and saw us before breathing out a sigh of relief. "So you already took care of him?" He asked as he walked over.

"Kinda." Marco replied. "Well … thing is … from what I gather, Lannister's first test subject for his formula was his older brother, the formula went wrong and he descended into insanity."

"Guys?" Marcus said as he looked at Lannister.

"After that he took his brother's identity and pretended to be him."

"Guys?" Marcus said again a little more urgent.

"I see." Stella replied. "So all this time he was really just playing you … and Mathew is stuck in a cell until we can change him back."

"Actually … I'm not sure if we can still help Mathew at this point."

"GUYS!" Marcus exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes as we all turned to look at Marcus. "What is it?" I asked.

Marcus pointed at Lannister, a terrified look on his face. "I think he's waking up."

I looked over to Lannister and saw his stomach start to move as though he were breathing again. "That's not possible." I said, before his stomach started to move some more. "That asset person wiped him clean; he shouldn't even be able to breath."

The movement began to travel upward as it made its way to his head. As it reached his neck, it stopped for just a moment. Lannister's head began to tilt back as something was clearly making its way into his throat, it expanded as if some blob were moving through. As the blob moved to his head, Lannister's mouth opened and some form of beak emerged. The beak opened sideways and let out a growl as we all stood there in horror. The creature continued working itself out, giving us a better look at its body; which resembled some sort of fat worm, which it would have been were it not for its legs that emerged soon after. They were stick like, but very thick. At the end of each one was a claw that looked as though it were covered in some form of slime. "Oh that's-" Marcus began before fainting.

It finally removed itself from Lannister, then looked at us … or as much as it could without eyes. It began to growl until Marco grabbed one of Lannister's broken swords and shoved it into the creature's mouth, causing it to thrash violently. As Marco wrestled with it, I grabbed my wand and pointed it at the thing. "Panzer shockwave! I shouted causing a massive burst of fire to erupt from my wand. Marco dodged out of the way just in time and by the time it was over, the creature was motionless on the ground.

"Is that what I think it is?" Stella asked.

"I think it might be." Marco replied.

I looked between Marco and Stella confused. "Wait … what exactly is that?"

"A parasite, Star." Marco explained. "One that creates addiction in its host … Stella coughed one up not too long ago but this one is … a little older."

"A little?!" Stella snapped. "Marco, the thing inside me could fit in the palm of your hand, this thing is three feet easy."

"And I think we found the adult." Marco replied. "Might have infected others … I'm going to have to check the other members of the cult."

"How?" I asked. "How did this lay an egg in Stella?"

"It teleports its eggs." Marco explained as he walked over to Lannister. "And this explains where his insanity came from … all this time; this thing was feeding off of his joy."

I looked down at Lannister as guilt began to flow. "He was a victim?"

Marco nodded. "Looks like it; just a victim of the disease known as addiction." He shook his head and looked at me. "And his cult is a symptom that we still have to deal with."

"Why are you on about that again?" I asked. "They did nothing wrong Marco, Lannister-"

"He founded them." Marco interrupted. "He did so to please his addiction, now it's over and done with, and I want to put it behind us."

"But they're my friends!" I replied.

"I just said I want to put an end to the cult!" Marco retorted. "I never said you should stop being friends with any of them. If you ask me, you shouldn't stop being friends with any of them." Marco took a breath and calmed down. "As the last cult leader, I'm making this call, as of tonight; the Cult of Star is officially disbanded."

I giggled. "You still haven't accepted that position, last I checked."

Marco paused for a moment as he thought to himself. "Um … I … is it too late to accept?"

I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and smiled. "Fine, your first and last action as cult leader is to disband it."

"Think things will go back to normal?" He asked.

I smiled. "Hmm … no." I pressed my lips against his as I began to drift off into bliss.

"Seriously?!" Stella interjected. "Is now really the best time for this?"

* * *

**So question, did anyone catch my hints that I've been laying down about Mathew really being Lannister? I didn't leave many but there were a few. I'm not going to point them out I'm just wondering if anyone noticed them. Now to work on the next chapter.**

**R&amp;R**


	66. Chapter 66

**Okay, so I've been procrastinating this for a while but I … have no excuse. Please enjoy this chapter and I will get to the next one as soon as possible.**

**SonicELITE: It was minor and could have easily been overlooked or passed off as something unimportant, as for Tom's plan, you will just have to wait and see.**

**Finnjr63: No, it's just a habit that I added to him but it's not something to over think.**

**deadshoot12345: Then it did what it was supposed to.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I hope I continue to make chapters that you find just as interesting.**

**Xboxrica: Glad you like it.**

**WarHusky2000: Yes, the parasites cause an unstable addiction in the host, I could make science of it but I'm going to pass on it.**

**Lupus Boulevard: Oh, I have plans … I have many plans.**

**Guest: I guess I did over use it somewhat.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

We were finally home and I for one was glad to finally get some sleep after such a long day. We took what was left of Lannister to Mewni and explained what had happened. The King and Queen were upset, but thankfully they weren't going to force Star to leave Earth; not that they could but still. We had also managed to find the page of formula that Lannister kept on his person and the King said that he would get to work reversing the effects on everyone. Unfortunately the formula used on Mathew was too unfinished that it had permanently damaged his mind; and he wouldn't be returning to normal any time soon, if at all. The only upside was that this information made it easy to convince most of the cult that it was time to disband, meaning that we could finally put this whole ordeal behind us. "I'll be happy if I never hear about the cult again." I said as Star and I walked upstairs.

"I don't know." Star replied. "At least one good thing came out of it." She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Yeah well … I would like to think that would have happened with or without their influence."

"Fair enough." She said as she wrapped an arm around me.

I felt a warm sensation come over me, before a strange feeling began to flow throughout my body; almost as though it were going numb. Whatever it was though, Star must have noticed because her smile turned and became a look of concern. "Are you feeling all right?" She asked.

"It's probably just stress." I replied. "After everything that happened tonight ... I just need some sleep." I placed a hand on my bedroom door as my breathing became somewhat labored. "I'm going to take a shower in the morning." I said as I opened the door. "Good night Star."

She smiled for a moment before pressing her lips against mine;. I still wasn't used to Star's kiss but I was able to ease into it after a short time. A moment later, she separated from me and ran her hand under my chin. "Good night Marco." She said before walking off to her room.

It took a moment for me to finally get a hold of my senses and walk into my room, closing my door. I began changing into my pajamas, but that numb feeling just wouldn't go away, in fact, it only got worse. "What's wrong with me?"

* * *

(No one's POV)

(Some unknown location)

The room was silent as the grave as The Asset stood in front of the giant mirror; there was a sense of unease about the place that could be felt and a sense of discomfort could be felt radiating from The Asset. Before long, Tom's reflection appeared in the mirror and looked down upon him. "Did you know that it would kill him!?" The Asset demanded.

Tom shook his head. "What does it matter?" He asked. "I never really trusted Lannister, to be honest, I'm glad he's gone."

"But he's dead!" The Asset retorted more than a little distraught. "I had no idea that … that it … that he would die!"

"What did you think was going to happen?" Tom asked. "I needed him to be silent and now he's silent."

"You're a monster." The Asset hissed.

Tom leered at The Asset. "Are you going to break our arrangement then?" He asked.

The Asset grunted. "No, but you had better keep up your end of the deal." The Asset looked away. "So what's the next phase of your plan?"

Tom smiled at his underling's simple question. "That all depends, have Star and Marco gotten together yet?"

The Asset looked away. "Yes."

"Then all I have to do is make a deal with Marco and you will have your prize."

"Oh, is that all?" The Asset asked sarcastically. "He will never make a deal with you Tom, or have you forgotten?"

"He will." Tom replied with a smile. "As soon as he's desperate enough."

"From what?" The Asset asked.

"It will become clear soon enough."

The Asset was about to nod before they froze. "No." The Asset replied. "That's not good enough."

"Excuse me?" Tom asked, annoyed.

"You tricked me into ending someone's life, I told you from the start that I wouldn't kill."

Tom rolled his eyes. "That's why I didn't tell you, now you can avoid the guilt all you want."

"That's not good enough!" The Asset retorted. "I won't take part of anything involving the loss of human life."

"Lannister was a monster." Tom replied. "He took advantage of his brother and others who wanted to help him; all for his own selfish goals, he will not be missed." Tom saw the look on The Asset's face and continued. "But if you must know, my plans don't currently require anyone else dying, so long as everything goes smoothly."

The Asset leered at Tom before turning away. "I hope not, I would hate for your plans to go south because Star and Marco found out." The Asset left the room as Tom stared at the door. "Your life will end long before you get the chance my friend … I only wish I had the pleasure of ending it myself."

* * *

**Okay, so I have to explain something, the hint about Mathew being Lannister was minor, a habit that he did that was easily overlooked or passed off as something insignificant. In retrospect, I could have done a better job at it so don't worry if you didn't catch it.**

**R&amp;R**


	67. Chapter 67

**Hi there, it's been some time since I've updated, hasn't it? Well like I said on my tumbler, I recently found a Job and it has taken up a lot of my time and I have to work on a rotating shift so getting into the grove of writing is hard, not to mention fallout 4, Fire emblem Faits, X-com 2, and maintaining a social life. But I've kept you all waiting long enough, let's get to the reviews so I can get to the story.**

****arael205**: I have invested too much into this story to give up.**

**Finnjr63: This is me we're talking about; of course there will be another conflict.**

**Lupus Boulevard: Well now that the cult is dealt with I can start focusing on more important things, like Star and Marco's relationship, so the story should finish up rather soon provided no one dies.**

**SonicELITE: Yes, yes it is.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I try my best.**

**infered5: Thank you.**

**MaFx98: I think you're thinking about Paul, and that's already dealt with.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: I pulled this trick a while ago with another story but this time it's not so helpful, The Asset is a character that has already been introduced but as for who it is, I can't say.**

**Hex: I like hearing what people think, it makes me feel whole, now I know why Alex left so many mysteries in Gravity falls.**

**DannySexbang: If I finish it before season 2 … no.**

**Mateusz Rzepka: It's not over; I'm just taking a long time to update.**

**Kieve Grove: Honestly, I wouldn't be as far as I am without my Beta, she makes my stories a lot easier to read and she has stuck with me for a very long time.**

**DonDonatek: Well wait no longer.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(The next day)

When I got out of bed I was feeling horrible; not only did I not get any sleep, but the numbness from before had turned into a strange sensation that I could only describe as sickness. I managed to gather my clothes and make it to the bathroom where I felt like I was going to collapse. "What's wrong with me?" I asked. I leaned against the wall and my arm began to move on its own. A smile crept across my face before I shook my head and regained control of myself. "What … why was I smiling?" I began to feel a little better so I proceeded to take a shower.

The rest of the day was like a roller-coaster, there were times when I was feeling fine and then there were times when I felt like I was going to fall over. Regardless of how I was feeling, I could swear that I could hear a whispering in the back of my head. It was now midday and Star wanted to show me a new dimension that she heard about. "Come on! I hear that if you go into one of the waterfall caves, you can find something called ramin guarded by a three headed lion."

"Joy." I replied a little uneasily.

She pulled me through the portal that she opened and we found ourselves in what appeared to be some form of jungle. "This is larger than I expected." Star mentioned as she began walking. "It's going to take forever to find … there it is!" She exclaimed as she pointed at a large waterfall.

She began running toward it, as I followed. "Are you sure that it's even the right one?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out." She shouted back to me.

I made my way over to her and tried to catch my breath as I caught up to her. "Have you gotten faster or have I gotten slower?" I asked.

"You're just worn out from yesterday." She said as she grabbed my hand.

We made our way to the waterfall and sure enough, there was a cave behind it. It was very dark and it looked endless. "So can I ask you a question?" I began.

"You worried?" She asked a little jokingly.

"Not worried." I began. "But … does this officially count as our first date?"

She was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I guess it does." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek before pulling me into the cave.

I felt my heart race a little but the strange feeling I was getting got worse. As we traveled deeper into the cave, it began to get darker and darker, forcing Star create light using her wand. As we got further into the cave a sense of dread came over me, almost like something very bad was about to happen. "Star, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Oh don't be so uptight." She replied. It was moments later, that we saw a giant lack that looked like it was glowing yellow. As Star ran up to it, she knelt down to get a closer look. "We've found it!" She exclaimed.

"We have?" I asked as I walked over. She waved her wand and conjured two bowls out of thin air and began to fill them with ramin. "But where's the guardian?" It was then that I felt something begin to breathe on my shoulders. "Of course." I said a little annoyed. I turned around to see that Star had left out a small detail about the three headed lion; one that involved it being about three times the size of a normal lion. "Star?" I said as I began to take a few steps back.

"Just a minute Marco." She said as she scooped up ramin.

The Timera began advancing on me as I began taking a few steps back. "Star, I think you should take a look at this."

"Give me a minute, I need to finish this." She replied.

I sighed and cracked my knuckles three times. As the Timera tried to bite my head off, I dodged to the side and wrapped my hands around it's center head. From there I lifted it up and threw it against a nearby wall with an audible crash. It stumbled around for a moment before getting to its feet and charging at me again. As it got near, I jumped and slammed my elbow into its center head forcing it to the ground and the other two heads to try and bite me. I managed to get out of the way in time to avoid them, but the creature didn't seem too happy that I slammed my elbow into its head; or that I was there in the first place. It began to claw at me, forcing me to back up or get flayed. As luck would have it though, the strange sensation from earlier came back and this time it was much worse than before, forcing me to my knees. The Timera saw this and took the opportunity to pounce. I thought I was done for but my body began moving on its own and caught the Timera before it could land. I was at a loss for words as I held the creature up by its stomach and threw it against a wall causing the cave to rumble.

Star finally got up and took notice of what was happening and she was visibly shocked. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked as she looked at the Timera. "Marco, why didn't you tell me that the three headed tiger arrived?"

"Really?!" I exclaimed before the sensation returned, forcing me to my knees again.

"Marco?" Star asked as she walked over to me.

I began to feel a pain as my scales began to protrude on their own and fangs began to replace my teeth. "What's … happening?" I asked as a hiss was heard in my voice. A pain began to form in a few spot in my back, like something was trying to get free. Moments later I felt something burst from my back and flail around wildly. When it was finally done, a smile formed on my face as my head turned up to look at Star who had a look of horror on her face.

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched in disbelief as Marco began to stand up. I didn't know how, but based on the tentacles that were coming out of his back; I knew that Monster Arm was somehow behind this. "What did you do to Marco?!" I demanded.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "I am Marco."

"Do you think I'm blind or stupid?" I asked. "I know it's you, Monster Arm. Now what did you do?"

He began to laugh. "Is it not obvious? I've taken control of Marco's body, I've also given it some upgrades; but what can I say? It was pathetic."

I took out my wand and pointed it at him as the magic began to build within. "Give him back, now." I demanded again.

He shook his head with a smile. "I think not, I don't want to go back to taking orders from that human again; so I think I'll stay where I am thank you." My wand was just about to fire when he began laughing. "Do you really expect me to believe that you're willing to harm your boyfriend's body?"

I smiled. "Yes." I fired a blast of magic at him which he slithered out of the way. I fired again only for him to slither away from me. He disappeared through some of the tunnels and I began chasing after him.

As I followed, I heard some movement come from all around and couldn't shake a very strange feeling I was getting. A short while later, I heard something slither across rocks and turned to blast it. When the dust cleared I saw a snake that looked terrified and slightly charred in a corner near where I had fired. "Now I'm blasting innocent snakes, what has this world come to?"

I felt something slimy wrap around me and lift me up. "That's an excellent question my dear." Monster Arm replied. I tried to muscle my way out, but somehow he was stronger than me. "Now my succulent princess, where were we?" He opened his mouth like he was going to bite my face off.

I continued to struggle until I gripped my wand and rocketed myself out of Monster Arm's clutches. "You're not eating my face … for whatever deranged reason you want to." I began running again until I managed to lose him. "Now what was that about?" I asked myself. This didn't make one lick of sense, what was Monster Arm after now? He had Marco's body and he could have easily escaped with the dimensional scissors he took from Roy, so what was he after? "Wait a second." I noted as I stopped. "How did he get control over Marco to begin with?" I began trying to think but nothing came to mind. "Come on Star, you're smarter than this." I repeated. "You can figure this out, all you need to do is think." I began working my brain, but I couldn't figure anything out. "Damn it!" I exclaimed. "Marco would have this figured out by now." I began moving so that it would be harder for Monster Arm to find me. As I moved I began to think some more. "Marco … he would have put the pieces together and found out why Monster Arm is only now taking control of him. He would have noticed that this less than covert transformation and introduction could only mean that he's always wanted to be free. Marco would have realized that Monster Arm is only now taking control because he finally can, and he would know what that something is." I slumped to the ground and closed my eyes. "What changed, what happened that would allow Monster Arm to take control of Marco?" I grasped my head in frustration. "Something's different; something in Marco is allowing Monster Arm to control him. Something foreign, something recent, something like …"

"You know I can see the magic coursing through your veins, right?" Monster Arm whispered in my ear causing me to freeze like I had just been flash frozen.

At the same moment though, my eyes opened in shock as I realized what it was that allowed Monster Arm to control Marco. "Magic!" I exclaimed as I shot up and pointed at him. "That's how you took control of Marco. You needed me to kiss him so that he would have magical energy flowing through his body." Monster Arm just stared at me in disbelief. "But that's not enough magic is it? It took a lot to make this transformation happen and it's draining you to maintain control, it's only a matter of time before Marco takes control back, that's why you're after me!"

Monster Arm stared at me for a moment until one of his tentacles constricted me, causing me to drop my wand. "You are smarter than you look." He replied. "Too bad it isn't going to do you any good."

I struggled, to no avail. Monster Arm had me tight and I needed to think up a plan and fast. "There's … one thing I don't get." I said trying to pray for time. "Um … why are you going after me?"

Monster Arm stared at me like I had just said something incredibly stupid. "You were the one who just explained it, why are you asking?"

"Because … um." I looked around as fast as I could. "I'm not the only source of magic!" I exclaimed. "You have dimensional scissors, why bother chasing me when you can simply go other places and steal it from there?"

He smiled. "I wish it were that simple, you see Star, Marco is a lot stronger and more disciplined than you think, I need a lot of magic to control him, that's why I need you."

"Oh." I looked to the ground and saw my wand and came up with a plan. "But wait … why not my wand?"

He looked at me, a little confused. "Hm?"

"My wand?" I repeated. "You are aware of the magic it possesses, right?" He looked at it, a little perplexed. "You mean to tell me you didn't know that? Aren't you connected to Marco or … wait … forget I said anything."

"Really?" He asked as he walked over to my wand. "I never took it as that powerful … let's see just how powerful it is." He opened his lower eyes and froze as he looked at it. "Incredible."

"NO!" I shouted as I struggled to break free. "I shouldn't have mentioned that, forget I said anything!"

"Too late." He said as he reached down and picked it up. "This should help with … hm?" the wand began to crack down the center until a bright light exploded from it as it transformed. "What's … happening?!" Monster Arm exclaimed.

"The wand is transforming." I explained. "When someone takes hold of it, it changes to match their true inner self and it brings out that part of them." Monster Arm's grip on me loosened, allowing me to slip free. "And if you were stronger than Marco, you wouldn't need to use magic to take control of him, now would you?"

Monster Arm screamed in pain as the head of the wand transformed into a yin-yang symbol with two fists emerging from the lower portion. "I can't … NO!" He screamed as the head of the wand changed into a yellow eyeball with tentacles coming out of it. " I won't … lose."

"NO!" Marco's voice exclaimed as the wand changed back. "I'm tacking my body back!"

"I don't think so!" Monster Arm retorted.

"You're not stronger than me!" Marco replied.

"I took this body fair and square!"

"Yeah, but you can't keep it!"

"You don't understand!" Monster Arm exclaimed. "You need me, bad things are coming, I can feel it!"

"I'll handle them without you!" Marco retorted.

"You can't stop me!"

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Marco asked. "Star and I have beaten you." Marco began changing back as Monster Arm screamed in agony. When he finished his transformation, he fell to the floor with his eyes closed.

"Marco!" I shouted as I ran up to him.

"Star?" He asked. "I don't feel so good."

"Everything's fine Marco." I said as I picked him up. "Let's go home."

* * *

**So this is it, my last chapter as Axis24 … it's kinda sad really … I … I guess … I … Oh, the story? No it's not over, my next iteration will get more into it but for now, I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you all on the flip side but for now, I'm off to regenerate, see yeah!**

**R&amp;R**


	68. Chapter 68

**There was no new promo for STVFOE today which makes me a little sad but oh well. At least I can post this chapter before the nights over. Now for the reviews.**

**phoenixhunter300: No, I didn't spontaneously grow wing during my regeneration.**

**WarHusky2000: It was the last chapter that Axis24 wrote; I am Axis 25, new and improved.**

**Finnjr63: A lot can be shown but really, things are unfolding now so there won't be many more mysteries left to solve.**

**MasterTigress4444: Once again, it was the last chapter that Axis24 wrote, now that Axis25 is in control, I plane to make a few changes around here.**

**Catalyst56: It means Axis24 regenerated into Axis25, the story's not over but I wish that he finished it and didn't leave me to do all the hard work.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**aliyaperez101: Axis24 should have explained this better, every year, I regenerate and turn into a new Axis, I am the 25 iteration and have only been writing since the 21 iteration.**

**EVAunit42: Finally I don't have to explain it! And yeah, now I can rent cars.**

**SonicELITE: Yeah, I mean, it's not like he was trustworthy to begin with.**

**Guest: Yes, that's what it means.**

**Guest: Thank you.**

**jolleIQ: I'm glad that I've been getting people into this show.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

(Later)

I was sitting on my bed staring at my hands, Star's magic had worn off a while ago but I still felt uneasy. I looked up to see that Star was still standing in my doorway and it looked like there was something on her mind. "Go on, say it."

"Say what?" She asked.

"That you were right." I replied. "Monster Arm was just trying to use me to get what he wanted."

"Marco." She whispered before walking over and sitting next to me. "What was I really right about? Him giving you scales and the eyes didn't really allow him to gain control of you, now did it?"

I sighed. "I still shouldn't have trusted him in the first place."

Star shook her head. "It wouldn't have mattered in the end; he took control of you because of me."

"Don't go blaming yourself, Star." I said as I turned my head. "You couldn't have predicted-"

"That kissing you would give the opportunity for Monster Arm to take control of you?" She asked.

I sighed. "It's not that big a deal right? I mean … I can never kiss you again." I felt a cold sensation come over me. "Or go any place that has a lot of magic … which means that I'm stuck on Earth." I let out a fake laugh. "I'm just going to have to back to being boring Marco."

Star looked at me as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm going to fix this." She stated.

"WHAT!?" I exclaimed as I turned to look at her. "Star, you don't know any spells that could remove Monster Arm. Besides, if your parents find out about what happened then-"

"They will send me to St. Olgas, I know." She began. "But what other choice do we have?"

I looked down for a moment. "Maybe … maybe he's gone." I said sounding unsure of myself.

"You can't be serious." Star replied. "Marco … the line between optimistic and desperate might be blurry but I can clearly see that you don't even think that's possible."

"So what if I don't?" I asked. "If we don't tell your parents then at least they won't make you leave, which would have the same effect as you getting sent away; but at least you would stay." She looked down and I sighed as I got up. "I'm … I'm going to go for a walk."

"All right." Star replied. "Want me to come?"

I shook my head. "I need to get my thoughts sorted out." I made my way downstairs, then outside, I was truly at a loss and it seemed like there was no way out.

"You seem to be upset about something." I heard Monster Arm note.

I paused and shook my head. "And here I was hoping that you would never return." I let out a sigh then resumed walking. "I should have known better than to trust you."

"You have me all wrong Marco." Monster Arm replied. "I told you, I only want to help you."

"You think I'm stupid?" I asked. "I heard what you said while-"

"You are in danger!" Monster Arm interrupted. "I need to protect you because if something happens to you then I will also suffer."

"As if." I retorted. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

"Do you think it was by chance that I came back?" He asked. "There was something, something that awakened me, someone wanted me to come back and I know that reason can't be good."

I shook my head. "I'm not falling for it Monster Arm, I just want you to disappear for good."

"I think I may be able to help with that." A mysterious voice said. I turned around to see someone in a black cloak, I couldn't make out their face and their voice was fuzzy. "That is … if you're willing to make a deal."

I looked at the person for a moment before I realized who they were. "You." I began. "I know you, your that Asset person … what are you doing here?"

"I just told you." The Asset replied, a little annoyed.

I thought to myself for a moment before leering. "You think I'm going to trust you? Why on Earth would I ever trust you after what you did?"

"You're right." The Asset said as they walked up to me. "There is no reason for you to trust me … it's probably better to just live with your curse for the rest of your life and suffer ... rather than take a chance and hear me out."

"Fine!" I exclaimed with a leer. "What do you have to say?"

"I can help you." They repeated. "Or rather … I know someone who can."

"Help me how?" I asked.

"By separating Monster Arm from you." The Asset answered. "Now, will you follow me or not?"

I paused for a moment before shaking my head. "I … I need to talk to Star."

"I would advise against that." The Asset replied. "The person you will be meeting … Star doesn't hold much regard for them."

"All the more reason not to trust him." I replied.

The Asset shook his head. "Look, all I can tell you is that if you tell Star, we can't make a deal. It's regrettable but true."

"Fine." I said with a sigh. "Take me to him."

I followed the Asset as they lead me into a nearby forest, I was well aware that I couldn't trust him but I still had a bad feeling about what was to come. They lead me into the woods, which seemed slightly more ominous than usual, but that might have just been me. As we walked I began to worry and decided to ask a few questions. "So who are you?" They didn't respond. "Okay." I said trying to think of something else. "Who are you taking me to?"

"You'll see." They replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine then, answer me this; the other day when you showed up, you killed Lannister-"

"I HAD NO IDEA HE WAS GOING TO DIE!" The Asset snapped. "You think I wanted to kill him? I thought that it would only erase him, not … turn his life off."

I nodded. "Lannister was a monster, but the fact remains that you still wanted him erased, why?"

The Asset sighed and resumed walking "If you must know, Lannister betrayed my associate and put his own goals first. Normally my associate wouldn't care, but it involved harming Star so he had to be taken out of the picture."

"Your associate?" I asked.

"I am not his slave." The Asset replied. "I am working for him as a part of a contract, once I have finished my service, which should be after today, I will be given what I want and I will associate with him no more."

"Interesting." I replied. I smiled a little and continued following him until we reached a clearing where they stopped.

"We're here." The Asset noted.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Where I am supposed to meet my associate." The Asset replied.

"Yeah, you still haven't told me who that is." I replied.

It was at that point I head an eerily familiar voice. "That would be me." He said.

I slowly turned around and my fears were confirmed. "Tom." I whispered.

"The one and only." He replied as he walked up to me. "Now, I've heard that you've been having trouble with a monster that's bound to you."

"What are you planning?!" I exclaimed

"Now that's harsh." He replied. "I thought we were friends."

"You have tried to kill me on a number of occasions." I replied.

"I'm a demon, what do you expect?"

"I expect that I can't trust you." I replied.

Tom sighed and shook his head. "Okay, if you want to live the rest of your life sharing your body with that monster; that's fine by me."

I froze for a moment and considered. "Wait … how do you even know about that?"

"Because I've been watching you tack down those traitors for me." He replied. "I've had my asset watching them, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike when you just happened to bump into them and take care of them for me."

"You've been watching us?" I asked astonished.

"I've been watching you fix my problems." He replied. "Which is why I'm … willing to make this deal with you."

"Deal?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied. "I'm willing to separate you from Monster Arm."

I looked at him in disbelief. "You … you can do that?"

"Quite easily." He replied. "Or rather … it would be easy if you agreed, otherwise it's impossible."

"Oh." I said as I looked to the ground. "So … I would need to agree to work for you?"

He shook his head. "No, you just need to agree to the deal."

"Which is?"

"I want what remains."

I looked at him confused. "Excuse me?"

"I separate you from Monster Arm and I get to keep what's left over, seems like a fair trade seeing as you wouldn't even know what to do with it."

"That's all?" I asked. "Why even agree to do this?"

"Because you helped take care of a nuisance." Tom replied. "Look, I understand that you don't trust me, I get it, but you know I want Star to like me again which means I would need the trust of her best friend as well. So think of this as a show, a show of trust."

I was about to reply but froze as realization hit me. 'That's right, it hasn't even been three days since Star and I started dating.' I thought to myself. 'That means it stands to reason that Tom doesn't know about it yet.' I glanced over to The Asset. 'Tom's little spy came and went rather quickly two days ago … or he could just be keeping it from him to get his cut that much faster.' "So if I agree to this … you will remove Monster Arm from me?"

"Of course I will." Tom replied.

"Don't do it!" Monster Arm exclaimed. "He's clearly up to something."

I sighed. "Fine, I'll do it."

Tom smiled and Monster Arm screamed. "No you idiot! It will take more than a simple Demon to separate me from your body!"

Tom reached his hand out and I shook it as I began to feel a sense of satisfaction. "So what happens now?" I asked as I let go of his hand.

Tom's hand caught fire as he held it up. "You just stand still and I will fulfill my end of the agreement … this may sting a little." He plunged his hand into my chest, I was expecting pain but there was none. As I looked down I saw that his hand looked transparent and it felt more like he reaching into my soul rather than into my body.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Fulfilling my part of the deal." He replied. And with that, everything went white.

* * *

**And now I bet you are all wondering what happens next, what's going to happen in the next moments and what will I ask next. Well I'm not going to tell you because that would be cheating so you will just have to wait until the next chapter.**

**Have a nice day.**


	69. Chapter 69

**So, I managed to finish this chapter with a little motivational help from a friend but seeing as I need to get to work soon, I should be getting to the reviews.**

**SonicELITE: Believe it or not, I actually didn't want to include the first half of this chapter at first and leave people guessing for a little while longer, I decided against it because I didn't know how else to reveal what … actually I will stop there.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: But did he choose the lesser one?**

**BlitzKraig: I want to explain it but I like that people make theories so I will refrain from doing that and just let you read the chapter.**

**Finnjr63: Well what do you think happens when you have your … whoa, almost gave something away, and Marco already blacked out a number of times already.**

**leader of shadowz: You hear that Marco? The leader of shadows doesn't think you should trust Tom, now that's saying something.**

**Sirleirbag: I cried when I saw you mention Shyamalan, I am well versed in his horror and what he has done to Avatar. I am however grateful that you still like my story.**

**Guest Sorta: Well, I recommend that you get your sleep and do your homework or I will have to put this on hold until summer so keep those grades up. A number of people have told me that this would make a great story on its own if I just remove the references to SVTFOE but that is still basically rewriting it from scratch and I don't have the fortitude for that. Also, seeing as you are a guest, your reviews will not be publically shown until I moderate them and let them be shown.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Marco's POV)

When I came to, I felt as though I couldn't move and everything looked a little blurry. When my vision finally cleared, I noticed that I was in some sort of glass cage and I couldn't move. "TOM!" I shouted. "What did you do to me?!"

The cage began to move as it was lifted off the ground. The next thing I knew I was looking at my own face; only it was a lot bigger. "I held up my end of the bargain." I heard Tom reply, the voice coming from my mouth. "I separated you from Monster Arm, and now I get what's left over."

"This isn't what I meant!" I exclaimed. "What have you done?"

"Simple." He began. "Seeing as Monster Arm is physically bound to you, I simply removed your soul from your body and I get what's left over."

I paused in shock. "I … are you telling me I sold you my soul?"

He laughed. "No Marco, you offered me everything except your soul. Now I get to be with Star; because she thinks I'm you."

"That's what this was about?" I asked. "Wait … you set all this up, didn't you?"

He laughed. "Oh yeah, yeah, let me just tell you my entire plan about how I planned to get you and Star together so that I could steal your body for myself."

My eyes would have gone wide, if I still had them. "So you knew."

"I knew? Really? I still can't believe you thought you were pulling one over on me." He replied. "That was truly priceless."

"You're not going to get away with this!" I hissed.

"Oh, I'm not?" He asked. "And what are you going to do to stop me?" He shook my cage. "You're trapped in a lantern and I am free to be with your girlfriend."

"You're forgetting something Tom." I replied with a smile. "Now you're the one who's bound to Monster Arm and as long as he is a part of-"

"I've already taken care of him." Tom replied. "I just had to fry his mind, it was actually quite simple, but you wanted to be separated from him." I was at a loss for words as Tom turned around and began walking. "Now all that's left if to bury you somewhere, or maybe I'll just sell you to someone."

Before Tom could get very far The Asset stepped in front of him and held out their hand. "Our deal."

"Really?" Tom asked. "Right now? I really just want to go to Star and-"

"Now Tom!" They demanded. "Or do you want to give me another reason to second guess what I did."

Tom sighed. "Fine, but I need to look you in the eye."

Without any hesitation, The Asset pulled their hood down revealing an all too familiar face. "No." I said softly. "This can't be right." I said as he looked at me with his green eyes. "Marcus … you were working for Tom?"

"You really had no idea?" Tom asked. "You should have at least seen how unstable he was."

"You can shut up now Tom." Marcus interrupted.

"I mean his obsession with fire should have been your first clue." Tom continued ignoring Marcus's threat. "It got so bad that he was willing to do anything to satisfy his hunger, even help trick someone into getting into a relationship with Star so I could steal their body."

"I said that's enough!" Marcus exclaimed.

Tom slowly turned to him with a leer. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?"

"How about you just fulfill your end of the deal so I don't have to associate with you anymore?"

Tom laughed. "Very well." He held out his hand. Marcus begrudgingly took it and their hands began to glow before they caught fire. "I give you my power in exchange for your service, so long as you don't tell Star what I have done, or knowingly assist in her knowing, you shall retain your powers."

Marcus let go of Tom and his hand was still aflame. "Finally." The ground around him soon caught fire and began spreading to the trees.

Tom picked up my lantern and began walking away. "We had better get out of here, I still want you to witness to my victory."

* * *

(Stsr's POV)

I was sitting in my room going through my spell book, trying to find a way to remove Monster Arm from Marco. Sadly, without knowing exactly what kind of monster Monster Arm was, it was impossible. "Damn it!" I exclaimed as I slammed my book shut in frustration. "There's got to be something I can do."

"You worry too much." I heard Marco say from my doorway. I looked over to see him leaning up against the frame with a huge smile on his face.

"Marco!" I exclaimed as I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "I've been-" I quickly realized what I was doing and let go of him. "Sorry. I've been searching for a solution to our Monster Arm problem, but so far … nothing."

"Like I said, you worry too much." Marco replied as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. "I've had some time to think and … Monster Arm got the jump on me once; so as long as keep my guard up, I should be just fine."

"I don't think it will be that easy." I said as I gently pushed him away. "If something goes wrong then I … I'm worried that I might not be able to get you back."

"You didn't lose me before, so it's not likely that you would lose me in the unlikely event that Monster Arm does take over."

"Well I don't want to risk it." I pointed out as I looked him in the eye. I paused briefly as something felt off when our eyes met. It was like I was looking at a different person, but I couldn't be sure as I didn't catch more than a glimpse because he closed his eyes and began rubbing his forehead with his thumb.

"Well." He took a deep breath. "How about we just test the waters then?" There was a hitch in his voice as he spoke, almost as though he were annoyed or nervous.

I let out a sigh. "All right, we'll take it slow, but we're not going to kiss until I'm sure that there is no danger."

He sighed. "All right, I can live with that … so when do we start?"

I looked out the window and noticed just how dark it was. "What time is it?"

Marco looked at his wrist but sighed. "I have no idea."

I looked at the clock in my room and noticed that it was eight thirty, normally I wouldn't mind staying up later but it had been a long day and, for some reason, I didn't want to talk to Marco right now. "I'm tired, so can we talk about this tomorrow?"

Marco closed his eyes and began to tremble before quickly opening his eyes with a smile that was bigger than Marco's usual smile. "Sure." He said quickly before closing the door and walking off.

I sat on my bed and looked at my door. Marco had been acting strange which was fine, seeing as he had just recently been taken over by a monster; but something inside had me concerned. "I'm probably just over thinking this." I said as I walked over to my closet. "Marco's probably going to be back to his regular self by tomorrow … hopefully."

I began to get ready for bed when I heard someone knocking on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone, but I knew that there weren't too many people it could be at this hour. "Come in." I announced.

Stella opened the door and took a few steps in, she looked concerned. "Did you and Marco have a fight or something?" She asked.

I looked at her, a little confused. "Noooo." I began. "Why do you ask?"

She turned to look at the hallway then back to me. "Well, he was … upset or something just now."

"Upset?"

"Yeah, he was walking down the hall and he looked like he just left an argument or something."

"We didn't argue about anything recently." I began. "But he was under Monster Arm's control earlier today."

Stella's eyes went wide. "Wait, what happened?"

I looked down and to the side as a feeling of guilt began to creep in. "Well … seeing as I'm more magical that any human, every time I kiss Marco, Monster Arm has more opportunity to take control over him." Stella was about to go on a rant but I interrupted. "But we're working on a solution and Marco claims that he can prevent it from happening again, so long as he doesn't let his guard down." Stella looked at me incredulously and I could tell what was on her mind. "I can't believe he would take such a chance either."

Stella sighed. "All right, just … promise me that you will watch out for him?"

"You have my word." I replied. "He is my boyfriend after all."

She let out a laugh and shook her head. "Okay, I'm just going to take a shower before the two of you make things awkward in there."

She began to walk to the door as I began to blush. "We don't … we've only been together for a day!" I exclaimed.

"Not taking the chance." She said as she closed the door leaving me overly embarrassed.

* * *

**It's funny that I'm still getting reviews for previous chapters asking me when Starco is happening in some of the previous chapters. It's cute and all but I actually have to get going on account of me needing to get to work, I will see you all as soon as I get my next chapter finished and make you all cry.**

**Have a nice day.**


	70. Chapter 70

**I know, I know, I need to update faster, don't even start with me on this. Now for some more important news, so it would appear that more people are against seeing my other OC's rather than for (it's cool, not sure what to do with them now but I have to give the people what they want.) so I don't really have much in the range of stories for other shows but hey, at least I can help fill the void left by the hiatuses. Also, I have had a number of people telling me in reviews and a few PM's that I could make this story into its own book or story if I just change around a few words but let me tell you something, I would have to not only rewrite every instance of Mewni, every mention of Star, Marco, and Tom, but I would also have to rewrite the entire first act to make an establishing portion as well as change up the ending a lot. And even then, the result, to me at least, would be doing the same thing to this show that the other Kingdome did and I will not do that. I do appreciate the thought though so thank you all.**

**Finnjr63: Some but yeah, this story isn't over just yet.**

**arael205: Don't worry, your tears will sustain me while I continue to break your heart.**

**BlitzKraig: Well congratulations and thank you but the show is currently on hiatus so that might be effecting your judgment … when will the hiatus end?**

**Kieve Grove: This story is closer to the end then you may realize my friend, there's not much more left.**

**SonicELITE: Awe, you're the only one who remembered that someone's going to die. Tom wanted Marco to get together with Star and then steel his body so that he can be with Star again, complicated yes but, like this story, it got WAY out of hand.**

**EVAunit42: Yeah, if you remember, Marco nearly drowned during a battle with Ludo and that was around when Star realized her feelings for him which was why she didn't want to lose him. Monster Arm? Oh no, I probably didn't make that clear, Tom wanted Marco's body so that he could be with Star. Now for Marcus, the burn marks were because of his love of fire, not any deal with Tom, as for his adoption … well … I'm going to talk about that later when it's not so much of a spoiler. The other things you are probably right about because I did leave a few clues. And Tom? Well … I don't want to spoil anything. And lastly, thank you so much for your review, I will do my best to write as fast as I can and get the next part of this story up and running as soon as possible.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I try my best.**

**Guest Sorta: There's more too it then that, I would have to rewrite a few major portions of this story and change up a number of other things, on top of that, I don't want to end up doing what the other Kingdome did.**

**SparkleyUnihorse: What? You and I have vastly different opinions of Tom my friend, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.**

**K.S: I can and I will.**

**AnthroDragon: You will find out soon.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(The following day)

Stella, Marco, and I were currently eating breakfast and despite my best hopes, things hadn't returned to normal; no one had said a word all morning and it was almost like someone had died. "So." I began trying to break the silence even though I had nothing to talk about. I quickly looked around and saw a clock that read seven thirty. "Shouldn't we be getting to school soon?"

I noticed Marco cringe; obviously he wasn't too keen on going back to school so soon after what happened just yesterday and truthfully, neither way I.

"Today's a holiday." Stella explained. "No school."

Marco froze for a moment as did I. "Ah, that's right." Marco began. "Yes, yes, no school today, should leave time for … other things?" He looked at me with a smile, which for some reason made me feel a little uncomfortable.

I rubbed my bandaged hands as I tried to think of something to change the subject "Hey, let's turn on the T.V." I exclamed as I grabbed the T.V. remote and turned it on to some news broadcast. As I listened to it, the story they were broadcasting caused me to go cold.

"Following our top story, a string of seemingly random arsons has begun plaguing the fair town of Echo creek." The female news anchor announced, showing pictures of a few buildings that had been burnt to the ground. "There have been a total of seven reported incidents last night alone, all of which appear to be abandoned buildings, or unused storage facilities. These include, an old apartment building, the old Echo creek theater, and a boat house that had already partially burnt down two weeks ago. Although no one was harmed, firefighters are at a loss for what could have caused these fires, it's almost as if they started spontaneously."

Stella looked at the screen as if a Monster had just appeared. "You don't think-"

"Roy." I interrupted.

"Isn't he on Mewni?" Marco groaned.

I shook my head. "It's a whole bunch of stupid technical stuff but Mewni didn't have the authority; so he was imprisoned on Earth."

"You think he escaped?" Marco asked, a little annoyed.

"Everyone else with fire powers is either insane, or dead, meaning that there's no one else who could have possibly done this."

Marco thought to himself before clenching his fists. Before he said anything however, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "Good point, but it could have just been normal arson."

Stella and I looked at him in disbelief. "Seriously?" Stella asked. "Marco, the lady said they started out of nothing and I'm pretty sure that at least a few of those buildings were used by the cult."

"It could just be a coincidence." Marco added.

I let out a sigh. "Trust me Marco, I get where you're coming from. I want to put the cult behind me as well, but we can't just leave this as is."

Marco began to groan until Stella got up. "Well, if you two want to put yourselves in danger, I wish you the best of luck."

"You're not coming?" Marco asked.

"Last time I fought one of the cult's higher-ups, it didn't end well; so I think I will be sitting this one out."

Marco smiled. "Then I guess it's just the two of us, let's hunt down this deranged lunatic together." He said as he looked over to me.

I slowly turned to look at him as I began to notice that something was off about him. "Yeah … just us."

* * *

(Star's POV)

(A short time later)

Marco and I were out looking for Roy and the more time that passed, the more I knew that something was up. Marco didn't seem to care all that much about our search. For starters, he kept trying to wrap his arm around me which, although I normally wouldn't mind, was not safe as long as Monster Arm was a part of him. That's another thing; Marco hasn't mentioned Monster Arm talking to him once since last night. I was sure that something was off, but I didn't have any conclusive proof, at least, not yet. "I'm glad we're able to spend time together." Marco noted. "It's too bad that Monster Arm had to interrupt us the other day." He paused and thought for a moment. "Does that make this our first date?"

"No Marco, this doesn't count." I replied. The off feeling I was getting was beginning to be unbearable and I was starting to fear what would happen if I was wrong. "This would be easier if we knew how to find him."

"He'll show his face sooner or later." Marco replied.

I looked at him and smiled. "Or you could just use the same method you used to find him the first time."

He looked away. "Yeah … let's just wait for him to blow something up again."

I laughed and began to wonder something. "Hey Marco, what was Roy like?"

"Huh?" He asked as he turned to look at me. "Why ask me?"

"Because you fought him." I replied. "They say you only truly know someone after fighting them; and you fought Roy three times."

"I suppose I did." Marco replied. "Well I can't say he was a good man but he was a great fighter, maybe if he had spent more time training and less time on sterilizing silver then he would have managed to best me."

"Yeah." I said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"It turned out that using sterilized silver actually hampered his ability to fight, so it turned out to be a waste of time."

I nodded. As we continued walking, I kept getting the feeling that Marco was someone else, almost like someone had stolen his flesh and was wearing it like a suit. I laughed at the idea at first but the more I thought about it, the more I began to worry; it made sense and I needed to confront him about it. "Hey Marco … I think I may know where we could start looking."

He looked at me, surprised. "Really? Where?"

"Just follow me." I said as I ran ahead. "I have a good feeling about this."

"All right then." He replied with a smile. "Let's check it out."

I smiled as fear began to overtake me; I had fought monsters, demons, ghouls, goblins. Heck, I've even fought my previous boyfriend, but Marco was not Tom and the thought that someone would actually take control of him scared me like no other. I couldn't just attack him right here and now though, that would put innocent people in danger and that's something Marco would hate.

When we finally got to the place, the person who looked like Marco looked up at the sign in confusion. "What is this place?" He asked.

"You don't remember?" I asked. "This is the place where Marcus tested his fireworks."

"And why on Earth would Roy be here?"

I froze as he questioned me; I had yet to think of a plausible excuse, but I had to think of something and fast. "Um … he would … want to … ambush us!"

"Say what?" He asked.

"Roy wants revenge right?" I asked as I opened a hole in the fence. "Well he knows that Marcus would, at some point, come back here; so all he has to do is lie in wait."

"But he doesn't want revenge on Marcus." Marco's body replied.

"But it's the best way to get to you; seeing as he can't take me on."

The person controlling Marco seemed confused as he looked at me through Marco's eyes. "Me?" He asked. "Well … I guess it makes sense."

"Good." I grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the field.

We began walking until I found a nice secluded spot, where we could finally get down to business. "This is far enough."

"Far enough for what?" He asked.

I turned around and pointed my wand at him. "Far enough that no one else will get hurt."

He took a few steps back as my wand began to charge. "Woah, Star, what are you doing? Don't you know who you're pointing that at?"

"Actually I don't." I replied. "How about you enlighten me?"

A soft smile crept across his face. "It's me … your boyfriend."

"You're not Marco Diaz!" I retorted. "Marco is a lot more cautious, especially after Monster Arm recently took over his body. On top of that, Marco hates Roy with a passion; whereas you seem to not care about him at all."

He scoffed at my accusation. "That's not entirely true. I am angry at him, but I simply know that this isn't his doing."

"Who are you?" I demanded. "I'm not going to ask again."

He laughed. "I'm hurt Star, you mean to tell me you don't remember me?" My expression gained a slight leer as he toyed with me. "I mean I might be wearing your boyfriend's skin like a suit but you should still know who I am. I mean, we dated for like a year."

I felt my heart begin to slow as I realized who had taken my boyfriend. "Tom." I whispered.

"You do remember!" He exclaimed. "And here I thought you had forgotten me."

"You sicken me." I hissed. "Taking over Marco's body just because you're jealous?"

"Jealous?" He asked. "No no no, I … well … why bother explaining it when you're not going to remember?"

I looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're just going to have to forget that this happened." He said as if explaining to a child. He began taking a few steps towards me. "But the short answer to your question is, I did it to be with you."

When he got close enough I pushed him to the ground as I began charging my wand. "Why do you think I'm just going to forget this?" I paused. "How would I even forget this?"

He got to his feet and smiled. "Why, make a deal with me." He stated pompously.

I rolled my eyes. "And why would I make a deal with you?"

"Simple really." He pulled out a small knife and held it against his neck. "I have no use for this vessel so long as you know the truth."

My mouth dropped open slightly as I tried to find the words to use. "You … you disgust me."

"Until tomorrow my sweet." He said as he offered his hand, which caught fire. "Then you won't remember a thing."

"I'll find out again, I'll find out again and again, until I finally stop you."

"Or." He began making sure to put a pause after the 'or' "The next time you find me out, we have this same interaction where you lead me to an isolated area and disclose everything that gave me away." I took a step back. "And I make sure not to make those mistakes until I get it-" He reached up and ran his fingers through my hair making me feel violated. "Perfect."

I looked at his hand then back at his face. If I didn't make this deal, then I could say goodbye to Marco forever; but if I did then I would ultimately be Tom's puppet for the rest of my life until a miracle happened. "Well?" He asked. "I'm waiting."

I let out a sigh of defeat, resigning myself to wait for a miracle than be responsible for the death of my best friend. "Fine … I'll do it."

The words that left my mouth filled Tom's eyes with joy as despair overtook me. "Looks like … you've won." I reached out for his hand as I felt my world slowly come to a close.

* * *

**Sometimes it's just too easy, tell me, have I made anyone cry yet? If I have then maybe I'll let up a little … nah, probably not.**

**Have a nice day.**


	71. Chapter 71

**Hello everyone and welcome to my latest chapter. I would first like to thank everyone for the reviews, they really make my day and make stories worth writing, and we've almost hit 1000, happy day! Now let's get back to your reviews from the previous chapter.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Tom isn't about to let all his hard work slip away from him, he did make one fatal mistake though and you will see that in this chapter.**

**Finnjr63: Tom's a demon, of course he's a monster … or am I the monster? Ohhhhhhhhh … no, I'm the monster.**

**BlitzKraig: Oh, I've got more Blitz, I will make you cry sweet sweet tears of agony … or is that someone else?**

**Ssnnooppyy: Yeah, after what I just wrote in chapter 72, I'm starting to agree with you.**

**DonDonatek: Well then, I need to get serious.**

**EVAunit42: Thank's friend, you are close but I'm not going to spoil it for you just yet, although I will say that thinks will get very heeded soon. You have also now made it official that eating lots of candy is considered making an offering to the Starco deity.**

**Kieve Grove: Your review has made me laugh in a way that I haven't done in ages, thank you. And I will have those tears, you just wait.**

**Guest: Which one are you talking about? Tom or Marcus?**

**Guest Sorta: He's not doing anything but sitting in a lantern contemplating how his life turned into this.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, Lannister, Mathew, Roy and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched, in horror, as my hand drew closer to Tom's; which would bring about his ultimate victory. I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that this was all a bad dream, waiting for him to grab my hand. As I waited however, I heard what sounded like a gasp. When I opened my eyes to see what happened, I saw that Tom was being held in a choke hold and the knife was on the ground. My eyes quickly adjusted and I was at a loss when I saw who it was holding Tom back. "Stella?"

"Don't just stand there!" Stella exclaimed as she tried to hold him. "Blast him!"

"Oh, right." I raised my wand and pointed it at Tom. "NARWHAL BLAST!"

Stella managed to duck just in time to avoid the massive narwhal that materialized and slammed into Tom sending him flying. "Did you get rid of him?" Stella asked.

"No." I replied as I turned the knife Tom dropped into butterflies. "I don't know how to separate a soul from a body." I paused then turned to Stella. "By the way, how did you know I was in trouble?"

"I was shadowing you."

"You were shadowing me?" I replied incredulously. "Why?"

"Marco hates Roy on a personal level, he should have been out the door the second he heard he left Mewni."

I look at Stella in disbelief. "If you knew he wasn't himself then why didn't you say something?!"

"Because I didn't know!" Stella retorted. "I was suspicious, but I didn't want to play my hand too early in case I was wrong."

"This has been swell and all." Tom interrupted as he got to his feet. "But I still have Marco's body and unless both of you take my deal, its dead."

"NARWHAL BLAST!" I exclaimed sending a second blast of narwhals at Tom which he just managed to dodge. "Better idea, how about we drag your sorry behind to Mewni and pull you out of Marco?"

"Hmm … I think I'll pass." Before Stella or I could react, I heard a small yelp that caused me to look to my side to see Stella being lifted into the air by a purple tentacle. "Let's take the variable out of the equation, shall we?" Tom asked before slamming Stella into the ground causing a bone crunching thud; before throwing her off to the side. "Now where were we?"

I stared in shock as Marco's arm returned to normal. "When did he-" Tom began walking towards me with a smile on his face as I raised my wand in defense. He was fast, way faster than before.

"Demon cat got your tong?" He asked as he raised his palm. A small ball of fire ignited in his grasp as his smile became deranged. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you … as much." He pointed his palm at me as the ball began to shake violently for a moment before bursting into a massive stream of flame.

"Bubble shield!" The shield formed just in time to block the stream of fire but cracks formed instantly, telling me that the shield wouldn't last long. I jumped to the side just as it was about to break and pointed my wand at where Tom was standing, only to find no one there.

I stared in confusion until a "Peekaboo" caused me to jump out of my skin as I tried to regain my footing. "You know you really should have accepted my deal." He said as he took a few steps closer to me. "Now I'm going to have to kill Stella for causing me so much trouble."

"NO!" I shouted as a blast of water erupted from my wand drenching Tom from head to toe.

"Really?" Tom asked seeming almost completely unaffected by my spell. "Looks like it's time to get serious." Fire began to shoot out from Tom's feet and shortly after from his hands as well propelling him into the air. He grasped his stomach as if he was in pain only to have six purple tentacles to burst out of his back before all four of his eyes shot open and looked at me. "Now let's have some fun." He began flying higher into the air as his tentacles began darting towards me in an attempt to grab me.

I quickly began ducking out of the way as I ran in the other direction as fast as I could, avoiding the occasional tentacle as I moved. "How is he so strong?" I asked myself before coming face to face with a wall of fire that had appeared out of nowhere.

"You can't run but please try, it makes this all the more entertaining." Tom shouted.

I turned and ran parallel to the wall of fire which soon became a semi-circle, and then a full circle; trapping me. "You think this can hold me?" I asked as I held up my wand. "Cotton candy fire extinguisher!" A blast of cotton candy collided with the wall of fire only for the wall to reform itself an instant later. I looked at the wall, dumbfounded for a moment, before I raised my wand and tried again. "COTTON CANDY FIRE EXTINGUISHER!" I shouted louder only for the spell to have the same effect.

"I've learned a few new tricks." Tom said as he descended into the circle. "So what do you say? Give up?"

I looked at him getting angrier and angrier with each passing moment. "No." I said as I cast a spell that caused a wall of what appeared to be blue smoke with hearts in it to surround both of us. I raised my wand into the air as the hearts on my cheeks began to glow, causing Tom to look at me confused, all the while a familiar feeling began to overtake me as the magical energy began building within the wand. "I want Marco." The ground began to tremble as small rocks began floating and the air around us became thick. After a moment, everything froze before a massive shockwave erupted from my wand; extinguishing Tom's ring of fire and throwing him a good distance. I began to walk towards him as he struggled to get up.

"No!" He pleaded as I pointed my wand at him. "Stay back."

I didn't listen; I just pointed my wand at him as energy began to build within it. When it was fully charged, there was a dead silence during which Tom quickly moved, allowing him to avoid the blast of magical energy that was released. As I stood there, looking at the trench I just made, I heard what sounded like an impact with a hard glass wall. I turned around to see Tom trying to strike at me with his tentacles only for them to bounce off of some force field surrounding me. I brought my wand to my side and with a wave, released a large snake like magic force connected to my wand that quickly began slithering towards Tom. Tom attempted to run but the snake was growing faster than he could run, when it was almost upon him, it split into twelve heads and latched onto him, restraining each of his tentacles, both his arms and legs, his torso, and his neck. I pulled on the snake causing Tom to come crashing to the ground and I let out a sigh of relief. "This is over."

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Tom asked with a mischievous smile. "You really think I would be fool enough to think I could beat you in a fair fight?"

I looked at him quizzically. "Um … you didn't fight fair."

He let out a laugh. "You know me too well Starship." I cringed a little at the nickname he constantly used for me. "Look, I just so happen to have one or two more tricks up my sleeve, or should I say, in the palm of your hands?" He snapped his fingers and I looked at him, confused for a moment, until I felt something strange happening to my hands. They stung a little at first but then quickly escalated into a massive burning sensation that forced me to drop the wand due to the pain. I let out a scream of pain as I fell to my knees and the hearts on my cheeks stopped glowing. "It's funny that you forgot." Tom said as the tether that held him disappeared. "I can do more than just create fire and forge deals, and one of those talents just so happens to be igniting scorched flesh."

I looked at him incredulously, until I looked back down at my hands. I did my best to ignore the pain as I tried to pull off the bandages that I had on them; only to just barely see that the burn marks that Lannister had given me a few days ago were now glowing. "You." I choked out. "You were the one responsible for the cult, weren't you?"

"Seriously?" He asked. "You're just now figuring that out?" He looked over me with a devilish grin. "Yes, I gave Roy, Lannister, and Matthew their powers. And yes, Lannister did answer to me until he betrayed me and I had to put him down; but that's in the past." He placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head so I was looking him in the eye. "Now that our little diversion is taken care of, how about our deal?" I tore my head away from his grasp and looked away. "Don't be like that." He pleaded. "You've been defeated, Stella's defeated, the cult of Star is no more, your parents have no idea what's going on, and Marco's body is mine. There is no one left to help you." He said as if taunting me.

I hesitated a little before speaking, as if knowing the outcome. "N-no … I still have one friend left."

"You mean Marcus?" Tom asked jokingly. "What would you say if I told you that he was working against you from the start?"

"No!" I shouted in disbelief. "You … you're lying."

"Oh am I?" He knelt down and looked me in the eye. "He was working as my eyes and ears since before you even met him, he even ran a few errands for me like slipping Marco a little something to bring back Monster Arm or silencing Lannister before he said too much."

"Marcus is my friend!"

"No he's not."

"Yes he is!" I spat. "The Marcus I know would never do what you say he did."

He shrugged. "Possibly, I mean addiction can change people; so who knows what kind of man he used to be." He paused. "Or should I say; who knows what kind of man he would have become."

I sat there helpless as I stared at him. "Wha … what did you do to him?"

He let out a laugh and ran his hand under my chin. "Does that really matter Star?"

I was about to snap at him but I was preempted. "I would say it does."

Tom slowly turned around to see who had spoken as I got a view of them for the first time. Tom began to hiss as I almost cried with joy. "Marcus." Both of us noted. Myself in relief, Tom in disbelief.

* * *

**Who's ready for the next chapter? Well if luck holds out then I should have it to you by next week, not Monday necessarily but early next week hopefully. Now let's all cheer as Marcus attempts to get redemption or dies trying! **

**Have a nice day.**


	72. Chapter 72

**And so begins chapter 72, and we take one step closer to the end of this story. I did check into that thing that I was worried about for this chapter and so long as I put a warning, I should be alright. Now how about I get to the reviews?**

**Ssnnooppyy: How do I do it? Well to be honest, I always think my fight scenes need a little more to them.**

**DonDonatek: I … don't know.**

**Xboxrica: All good things must come to an end.**

**Kurokawa Kazunari: I've already answered this before but Marco is stuck in a lantern, he's not doing much aside from sitting there.**

**Kieve Grove: *Slams hands on table* I WILL HAVE THOSE TEARS!**

**Aaron The Sir: Um …**

**Heroaedrianmontilla: In this chapter? Well you have nothing to worry about my friend.**

**Finnjr63: Wait? Wait what? You think something bad is going to happen? Why on earth would you think that? It's totally unlike me.**

**BlitzKraig: There's more to some, there's more to come.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I wouldn't say he cares so much for Star … more like he cares a lot for his friends.**

**EVAunit42: I find that a prism works best for capturing it but as for holding it, you're on your own. My OC's? Well … *Looks around* okay, don't tell anyone this but yeah, I don't like hurting my OC's, it doesn't mean their safe though.**

**SonicELITE: Lannister died … yes, he's not just effectively dead, he is actually dead.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains violence.**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I watched as Marcus began walking over to us, sparks began leaping between his finger. "Oh great." Tom said as he turned to face him. "And how may I ask did you know I was here?"

"Really?" He asked incredulously. "This is my favorite testing field and you don't think I would notice fire and magical explosions?"

"Figured you'd be too busy burning down cultist buildings." Tom replied with a leer.

"Wait." I interjected. "Marcus, that was you?"

"Stay out of this." Tom hissed. "I'll finish with you soon enough." He turned back to address Marcus and sighed. "Look, I have this well in hand; I don't need your help, so if you could just leave-"

"I'm not here to help you Tom." Marcus replied as the ground began to catch fire around him. "I want to know what the heck you did to me!"

Tom shook his head ignoring the growing field of fire. "I did nothing but grant your wish, the ability to sate the hunger for fire that dwells within you."

"But you didn't even do that." Marcus replied. "I've burnt so much and I still feel a hunger." He shook his head as the fire around him began to grow. "This hunger I feel no longer has any semblance of normality, what did you do!"

"I don't have time to deal with you right now Marcus." Tom replied. "I'll help you sate your hunger later."

"No." Marcus hissed as he walked forward; fire creeping down the back of his left arm and up the right side of his neck. "If you truly knew how to help me, you would have by now."

"You will be free from your hunger soon enough." Tom replied. "Now leave, we had a deal."

"Our deal was that I wouldn't tell Star about your plan, looks like she already knows." The fire on his arm reached his hand and split as it spread to each of his fingers. "As for my hunger," He began as the fire on his neck spread to make a crescent shape around his right eye. "How about I burn you out of that host and see if I still hunger."

Marcus began charging Tom and I knew I had to get moving and fast. With my hands still in pain, I bent down and bit into my wand and began running as fast as I could. When I got a few feet away, I quickly opened my star bag wincing slightly at the pain, and dropped my wand into it. I paused for a moment to take a look at what was happening and saw that in the short time I was running, a raging inferno had formed from the fight between Tom and Marcus. "What the heck is happening?" I heard Stella ask.

I took a quick look around to see Stella had a hand on her head, probably from the hit she took. "How much did I miss?"

"Marcus is here." I replied. "Tom was using him somehow but double crossed him and now Marcus wants revenge."

"Wait," Stella began. "Marcus was a spy?"

"He was used." I replied as I looked at the inferno carefully, trying to piece together the faint movements that I noticed within. "I don't know how but … something happened and he made a deal with Tom." I tried to fight the tears that were working their way out. "He is just as much a victim here as Marco."

"I'm still going to beat the crap out of him when this is done." Stella replied. "I just wish I knew what was going on in there."

* * *

(No one's POV)

Tom burst from the inferno using his tentacles as a shield to protect his vessel from too much harm. Had he not been in Marco's body, this fight would have been over within a matter of moments; but his need to keep the body alive in order to be with Star after he had wiped her memory put him at a massive disadvantage, especially since the fire didn't seem to have much of an effect on Marcus.

"I just need more time." Tom said as Marcus came bursting out from the inferno with a crazed look in his eyes. "Let's try this." Tom said as he attempted to strike at Marcus with his tentacles only for his attack to be less effective than he had hoped. Even in his crazed state, Marcus side stepped the first three tentacles with relative ease but the fourth one came too soon after the third and managed to graze his shoulder. The pain didn't seem to bother him all that much though, as he continued to charge through it and didn't seem to notice the fifth strike graze his side. The sixth and final tentacle however proved to be the real strike, as it got a handful of his stomach and stopped his advanced. "Not so difficult." Tom gloated.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Marcus replied as he took hold of the appendage. Before Tom could react, the tentacle caught on fire and it was quickly spreading in Tom's direction.

"Crap!" Tom exclaimed as he raised his arm. He swung at the tentacle with such force that he severed it just in time to prevent the fire from engulfing him. "Too close." He said as he witnessed the tentacle burn to nothingness. The loss of a tentacle put Tom at a disadvantage, especially since he had to pull energy from Marco's body to grow them, and the battle prior had depleted a fair amount, meaning he wasn't growing it back any time soon. "I need a new strategy." Tom noted as Marcus came rushing at him; a ball of fire in hand. Marcus threw the ball and it began to grow in size as it quickly approached him until it was the size of a house. Tom quickly regained his footing and with one quick slashing motion, split the ball in two causing it to pass by unharmed. "You're going to have to do better than-" Tom was cut short when he noticed that the ball had split into many more smaller pieces and were making a U-turn. "Oh, crap!" Tom turned just in time for the first one to collide with him; making a tiny explosion followed by another and another.

"Is that all you've got?!" Marcus shouted at the cloud of smoke "I expected …" Marcus stopped as he noticed Tom standing, nearly unharmed, as the dust cleared with only small red flakes falling from Marco's body.

"This vessel has its advantages." Tom said as the smoke fully cleared. It was clear that Tom had used Marco's scales to protect himself, but the blast had done a number on them and they were visibly damaged and not going to protect him much longer. "Now I just need a little more time."

"You are out of time!" Marcus exclaimed as he began charging Tom again.

"You're covered in burns, right?" Tom asked as he raised his arm, ready to snap. "Let's see how this affects you." He snapped his fingers causing Marcus to stall for a moment. All of his burn scars began to glow, which was barely noticeable on account of all of them being covered. This didn't stop him however, as the look in his eye just appeared more crazed than before. "Damn it!" Tom exclaimed as he began running again.

As Marcus began catching up to Tom, he began shooting streams of fire at him, which Tom was only just able to side step. The back to back battles had taken a toll on Marco's body and it was starting to show. "Damn!" Tom exclaimed again. "Looks like I'm out of options." He turned and stood his ground as Marcus kept coming. "If only I had a little more time … oh well, Marcus can thank me when I'm done."

Tom's right hand became transparent. "You want your hunger to end? Fine! I'll rip it from you." Tom began charging Marcus with his hand outstretched as the fire lines on Marcus's body began to grow. Time seemed to stop for an instant as the two neared each other and in an instant, it was over and the two were on opposite sides of each other. The crazed look on Marcus's face was now gone, replaced with one of shock, fear, and devastation while Tom was on the other side holding what appeared to be none other than a Deditus satietas, only this one was much bigger than either of the previous two. It was easily six feet in length once uncurled and its claws completely extended and it possessed a number of spikes on its back. Tom tossed the creature onto the ground and watched as it hissed at him. The creature's legs were much thicker and its tongue was a lot longer, having not enough room in its body to hold it, and lastly, the creature had two black dots that appeared to be eyes which were likely recently developed. Tom leered at the beast causing it to scurry away.

Marcus continued staring off as the effects of having the creature removed from him slowly caught up to him, the fires on his body had begun to die out, leaving new burns on his skin. Once the flames were completely gone, Marcus grasped his left arm and right eye before collapsing to his knees and releasing a scarcely human cry that pierced the air around him.

"Hello." Tom said as Marcus's cry caught his attention. "Looks like someone isn't taking their freedom well." Marcus fell over, clutching his stomach as Tom shook his head. "And after all I've done for you." Tom began making his way over, as Marcus began making what sounded like a cross between an attempt to breath and crying. "You know." Tom began as he got closer. "You've really become an annoyance to me lately." Marcus's good arm shot out and he tried to pull himself away. "Don't go." Tom said as he grabbed Marcus's hood. He threw his arms back and slid out of the hoodie as he tried to make a run for it, only to instantly fall to the ground again and continue his one armed crawl. "You know I'm really hurt." Tom explained as he loomed over the injured boy. "I've done so much for you; I even saved your life just now." Marcus looked over his shoulder for a moment before going back to his futile attempt at escape. "If you had won that battle, then that creature would have broken you open like an egg. You owe me your life." Marcus didn't listen and continued to try and escape. Tom shook his head and violently flipped Marcus onto his back before stepping over him. "And you've just been SUCH A PAIN!" He grabbed Marcus's shirt and pulled him up before grabbing his glasses and throwing them aside. "Look into my eyes Marcus." Tom began. "Do you see how PISSED OFF I AM!?" Tom brought his fist back before slamming it into Marcus's face. "You nearly cost me everything!" He exclaimed before hitting him again. "And after all we've been though." Tom punched Marcus again the let go of his shirt. "I'm going to enjoy this." Tom walked around Marcus who had just barely managed to roll onto his stomach again. "Oh, you." Tom began before kicking Marcus square in the stomach. "I thought I didn't have to worry about you." Tom kicked him again as Marcus let out another cry. "I was willing to let you live, but you have proven to me that I need to tie up this loose end." Marcus tried to reach his arm out to pull himself away again, but he simply didn't have enough strength left. "That's interesting." Tom began as he looked at Marcus's uncovered arm. "Your old burn marks, they've stopped glowing." He raised his hand and pressed his thumb against his middle finger. "Shall we fix that?" Tom snapped his fingers causing Marcus to scream in agony once more as all his burns began to glow. "What a wonderful sound!" Tom shouted as he did a little hop. "Man, I'm starting to feel a little better." Using his remaining strength, Marcus reached his arm out and grasped the ground in front of him, only to discover he didn't have enough strength to pull himself forward. "Then again." Tom began as he rolled his foot onto the back of Marcus's elbow before crouching down and grabbing his wrist. Tom slowly turned to look at Marcus and made sure he knew what was coming.

"Please no." Marcus choked out.

"I heard please." Tom said with a smile. He yanked Marcus's wrist forcing his arm to bend backwards, causing Marcus to release an earsplitting scream which eventually faded as Marcus's head fell. "Pity." Tom walked over to Marcus's hoodie before picking it up and throwing it over him. "I was looking forward to releasing some more stress … I guess I'll have to end it here." Tom extending his arm as a ball of fire formed in his palm. "Goodbye Marcus, you were a good servant until you betrayed me."

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**Have a nice day! *Runs out of room*  
**


	73. Chapter 73

**Okay, I know that my last chapter was … a little on the rough side and … I'm sorry sir, but no pitch forks are allowed in here … no, him, your regular fork is alright … yes sir, your spoon is also aright … How did you get an attack dog in here? Please, get it out this instant. Alright, now that that's settled, I can get to this chapter which will make everyone stop chasing me with those pitch forks … hopefully.**

**Finnjr63: I had to, it's the only way I can get the life sustaining tears that I need so very much.**

**SonicELITE: Yes, but you've left it at home because I made a strict 'no pitch fork' policy and … where did it go? I had a plaque right here!**

**Ssnnooppyy: My apologies but all reviews must be rated 'k' as per the rules of . As such, I'm going to have to ask you to remove that pitch fork and refrain from using curse words in future reviews.**

**BlitzKraig: That just tells me that I'm doing my job right.**

**Kieve Grove: Hm … if I can't get tears of fear … maybe I can get tears of sadness. Awe, that's so sweet, and I can't wait to give Tom his just desserts.**

**Aaron The Sir: Please, put your weapon down.**

**Sirleirbag: It's not supposed to be funny, it's supposed to keep you in suspense.**

**Heroaedrianmontilla: Strange, I did say that someone was going to die but I never said there would be a happy ending. No, Marco will never use the wand.**

**Sirleirbag: Thank you for reminding me, this actually takes a step back and explains what Star is doing during the final part of the battle.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I'm glad I was able to get him right, I was worried that I messed something up.**

**EVAunit42: You know, if you have a substance with a high enough refractive index then it should be able to hold the light or at least bend it significantly. I don't think my OC is going to be what's damaged here. Marcus was actually a little tricky at first and I'll explain why later or in some place a little less … public?**

**Romantic Sloth: Well we can't have that, then I won't get those life sustaining tears I need to maintain myself.**

**Guest Sorta: No, I'll post on Thursday and there's nothing you can do about it.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

(Moments earlier)

Stella and I watched, in horror, as Tom forced Marcus to the ground and was now brutally beating him. I couldn't move for some reason as I watched the brutal assault unfold before me. "Do we do something?" Stella asked. I didn't reply on account of still being at a loss. "Star!" Stella exclaimed, finally shaking me from my frozen state. "What do we do?!"

I looked around quickly before pulling my dimensional scissors out of my star pack and handing them to Stella. "Go to Mewni, get my father."

"But-"

"I'm not putting any more of my friends at risk by being here!" I interrupted. "Now go!"

Stella looked at me, worried, as I turned around and began running towards Tom and Marcus. "Goodbye Marcus," Tom began as a ball of fire materialized in his hand, "you were a good servant until you betrayed me."

"I don't think so." I whispered as I pulled out my wand. "Sand Storm Cyclone!" I shouted, creating a massive sand storm. The sand storm reached Tom just in time to blind him and force his arm to cover his eyes; causing his blast of fire to shoot into the sky.

"Damn you Star!" He shouted as he tried to get the sand out of his eyes.

I rushed past, picking up Marcus as I did and quickly made my way to a nearby bunker. I continued running, nearly kicking down the door as I made my way inside. "I think we're safe." I said as I sat Marcus against a nearby wall. "Given as soon as he can see again, he'll just use Marco's monster eyes; but thankfully that sand will keep him busy for some time, right?" I looked at Marcus, expecting some sort of laugh or sigh or just about anything but absolute silence. "Marcus?" I asked as I took a closer look at him. He looked different without his glasses on, even though he had a burn mark in the shape of a crescent moon around his right eye. "Come on Marcus, open your eyes!" I removed the hoodie that was covering him and let out a small sigh when I saw that his chest slowly moving up and down. "At least he's alive." I quickly looked him over, I didn't know much about first aid, especially with humans; but I did know that his right arm was not supposed to bent away from his body. "Sorry Marcus." I said as I took hold of his arm only for it to burn slightly. I quickly took my hands away with a twinge of pain and the adrenaline from getting him here was starting to wear off meaning that my hands were starting to hurt again. "Damn it." I grabbed his hoodie and wrapped it around his arm before taking hold of it again. "At least he's already out." I took a deep breath and pulled his arm back into place causing an unsettling crack and a small grunt of pain. "Marcus?" I asked.

His eyes remained closed but I could hear a small sound. "S-S-Star?" He whispered.

"It's okay Marcus." I said as I tried to use his hoodie to tie a sling. "You're going to be fine, you just need rest."

His jaw trembled a little as he let out a soft. "Why?"

"You're hurt." I replied. "But you need to stay with me so-"

"Why?" Marcus repeated.

"I forgive you Marcus." I said as I turned to address him. "You may have done something wrong, but you came back and tried to help, even if I have a few reservations I-"

"Why?!" Marcus pleaded a little louder. "Why does it … hurt?"

I looked at him at a loss for words; sure I didn't know much about the parasite but I did know that it would have taken a long time to grow to be that big, so much that it must have been in Marcus for the majority of his life. "Marcus." I said softly causing him to turn slightly to look at me. "Have you … have you never felt pain from being burnt?"

He glanced downward. "Not entirely." He muttered. "There's … always been … a sense of … bliss."

"And now it brings only pain." I sighed as I rested my head on his chest. "I guess we have that in common … Tom has turned what we love against us."

Marcus took a deep breath before opening his eyes some more. "Tom." He began as he made a cross like motion on his chest. "Has a sigil."

"A sigil?" I asked. "For what?"

"Marco's … body … is too young, can't endure … multiple patrons." Marcus's eyes began to shut slowly and I began to worry.

"Marcus stop, he has a week point on his chest, that's all I need to know."

"Wait." He began as he tried to reach into his hoodie. "I have … something." As his hand shook he slowly but surely pulled out a leather rollup pouch.

I took the pouch from him and slowly unrolled it to reveal an assortment of silver needles. "Is this … sterilized silver?" Marcus gently nodded. "But I though … these were destroyed."

"I held on to them … just in case."

I looked down at them and closed the pouch. "Thank you … I'll make sure Tom doesn't get away with this."

Marcus gave me a small smile. "Thank you." His eyes closed slightly as he fraught to stay awake. "Star … I think it's time … for me to sleep."

"What?" I snapped as I started crying. "No Marcus, you …" I grabbed his shirt. "Come on Marcus, stay with me!"

His smile faltered and he let out a sigh. "There was a girl … I once knew." He looked as though his eyes were getting heavier and heavier. "I was trying to show her … my first roman candle. Have I told you this story?" I shook my head as the tears continued to flow. "It didn't go well … she got burned real bad … and I never got the chance to apologize."

"Well we can't have that!" I pleaded as I tried to stop the tears. "As soon as this is over, you, me, Marco, and Stella are going to track her down so you can tell her exactly how you feel!"

He laughed ever so slightly as he turned to look at me. "That would be nice." He began. "But I think … she … still …" His neck gave out and his head fell.

I couldn't help it anymore, I let loose and cried as I grasped his shirt. "How … how can you leave like this?" I asked between sobs. "You … you still … had so much to live for."

I let go of his shirt and clenched my hands into fists. My teeth began to grind together as I stood up, my sorrow was replaced with rage. "Tom!"

* * *

(No one's POV)

The door to the bunker silently crept open as the sound of barking could be heard, as the little puppy pushed the door open further, it quickly began to growl as it saw the motionless body that lay before it. Bagel ran up to Marcus and began barking angrily, before rushing up to him and biting his pant leg. Before he could cause any damage however, the little laser puppy paused as his eyes opened in confusion, he sniffed Marcus a little only to find the foregone scent now gone. Bagel smiled as he began panting happily at the boy with the occasional bark of joy. After a moment though, Bagel realized that Marcus was not moving and his smile slowly turned into a worried frown. He began to nuzzle the boy's leg, trying to get a reaction but the more he tried, the more concerned the little puppy became. Bagel began making his way to the boy's hand and tried to snuggle under it only to recoil after coming into contact with Marcus's burning hot skin. Bagel looked at the boy for a moment then steeled himself, he looked at Marcus's hand then forced his way under it, ignoring the pain coming from how hot his flesh was, but after Marcus still didn't move, Bagel was forced to move away from his hand.

Bagel looked up at the boy's face, and then down in shame. After a moment though, Bagel opened his eyes then hopped onto Marcus's pant leg and made his way to his chest, making sure not to step on his skin. Once he made his way to his face, he quickly licked it a few times in an attempt to rouse him from his apparent slumber, but to no avail. Bagel then tried to nuzzle Marcus's face, ignoring the pain as he did but after a while, Bagel couldn't handle the heat and was forced to stop. He looked up at the boy and took a small breath and zapped the boy's face causing it to be pushed back slightly, before slumping forward again. Bagel stared at the motionless boy for what felt like an eternity, until a tear fell from Bagel's eye. He quickly curled up into a ball on the boy's chest as he continued to cry for his unresponsive master.

A few moments passed until a familiar scent caught Bagel's nose and he snapped to attention, it was the foregone scent that had made the puppy so on edge earlier, only now it was coming from the door and when Bagel looked over, sure enough, he saw the Deditus parasite making its way towards the boy.

Bagel hopped down and began growling at the creature causing it to stop and focus its beady black eyes on the little laser puppy. It countered the animal's growling with what could only be described as a cross between a hiss and a roar; causing the puppy to back up in fear only to stop as he bumped into Marcus. Bagel looked up once more at his motionless master and then back at his adversary; Bagel could sense the ill intent coming from this creature that was easily the same size as his master. He took a moment to gather his courage before leering at the creature with eyes filled with determination, he knew that he was out matched, but he wasn't going to let this thing anywhere near his master so long as he drew breath.

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***You look around trying to find Axis25 but he's nowhere to be found, instead, all you see is a note that reads 'Have a nice day'***


	74. Chapter 74

**And I'm back, seriously, you guys didn't need to chase me down, I would have made the next chapter at some point … before season 2 aired. Now to get to the reviews so I can get to breakfast.**

**Finnjr63: Why thank you, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**mrenteria99: Hm, I'm hungry.**

**Ssnnooppyy: I'm sorry if my response to your review made you cry, but if it was the story then I'm not sorry because that is supposed to make people cry.**

**BlitzKraig: Language! There might be children reading these reviews.**

**Heroaedrianmontilla: You assume that Marco survives?**

**retrofan1: I don't have to fix it unless I want to fix it and now I'm going to make you suffer … oh, damn, YOU HAVE A TANK!?**

**SonicELITE: Thankfully I dug out both trackers a long, long time ago … it was most painful.**

**Sirleirbag: Awe, cry some more but could you cry into this bucket so I can collect those sucu- I mean … pay no mind to thee bucket which our tears are falling into.**

**Kieve Grove: Well, my last sad chapter ended last chapter so I guess making you cry is off the table *unassuming whistling***

**arael205: And it looks like it's going to be a big one.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Why thank you, I wag my tail humbly.**

**EVAunit42: No, Bagel isn't going to transform into a dog of doom, but you did miss somethingwhen going over those commands.**

**{Read} {Act} {items} {Mercy}**

**{Act} - {Call for help}**

**The Canadian Infernape: I know, 1000 reviews? This is amazing!**

**Guest Sorta: You should have told me it was your birthday, I would have been happy to update this story.**

**Guest: Almost? Well then I'm not doing my job properly.**

**Guest: It wants to eat what's left of him.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(No one's POV)

The little puppy glared at the parasite as it observed the little dog with its little black eyes. Bagel began to charge the creature before him only for the parasite to knock Bagel against the wall with a loud crack.

The creature continued to move toward Marcus, ignoring the barking coming from the freshly recovered laser puppy. Bagel began to worry, as he needed to draw the creature's attention or who knows what would happen. Having no other options, he began to shoot lasers at it only for them to cause the creature to recoil slightly with each impact. The lasers did however succeed in getting the creature to turn his attention toward him, which proved to be just the opportunity he needed. Bagel zapped it in its little black eye causing it to shout in pain as it fell of balance; causing it to hit a wall. Bagel succeeded in getting its attention but his plan had worked too well, omit now he had it's undivided attention as it began coming after him. Bagel began to back away, but the creature was quickly on him and had him pined to the ground in a matter of seconds. As Bagel tried to squirm, the parasite opened its mouth and picked the little puppy up and began to squeeze him; causing Bagel to yelp in pain. After a moment, it threw Bagel against a wall, causing another crack which was much louder than the first. Bagel tried to make his way to his feet only to fall from the pain in one of his legs that was surly broken, leaving him defenseless against the encroaching monster.

Bagel looked on in horror as the parasite raised its sharp claw, ready to stab the innocent puppy. The parasite began to jab at Bagel, only for another laser puppy to tackle it's arm out of the way. The creature was confused but didn't have time to process what was happening as yet another laser puppy jumped onto its back, followed by another and another until it was overrun by puppies trying to bite and tear at it.

Bagel slowly made his way to his feet and began limping over to Marcus, ignoring the flying parasite limb that flew past him. Bagel reached Marcus and tried to climb back onto his master, only to find it more difficult now that he had a bad limb. He looked up at Marcus as he felt sadness come over him until he noticed the parasite cross into his peripheral vision clawing at the ground in an attempt to get away until it was dragged back as it cried in agony. Bagel paid it no mind and looked back to Marcus before looking down in defeat. Before long however, Bagel felt something lift him up onto Marcus's leg. When he looked to see what it was, he saw his brothers and sisters covered in a blood like substance, lifting him up onto Marcus. From there, a few of his bigger siblings hopped onto Marcus and Bagel was lifted onto the back of his eldest. He was then brought to Marcus's chest, where he was gently placed down. Bagel curled up into a ball and took a moment to look at all his beloved brothers and sisters who had come to help the young laser puppy in his time of need. He then drifted off into a quiet and peaceful sleep as the others watched over their youngest sibling.

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(Star's POV)

I held the sterilized silver needle in my palm, hidden from Tom, as I walked up the hill. When I got close, I found him standing there with a scowl on his face, as if expecting me to hit him, which I would have done and then some if I didn't have a plan. "So here we are again." Tom began as I approached. "I knew you weren't going to run, but what will you do now?"

I took a small breath as I bit my lower lip and shut my eyes. "I … can I still make the deal?"

He paused for a moment before looking at me incredulously. "You … is this some sort of trick?"

I shook my head. "I want to … I want to forget watching one of the few best friends I had left dying right in front of me!" I shut my eyes tight as the thought of Marcus made a tear fall down my cheek.

"Oh Star." Tom said as he wiped the tear away.

I grabbed his hand before he could remove it. "Don't misunderstand me, I hate you." I said putting emphasis on the 'hate.' "You have taken more than just my boyfriend as well as one of my closest friends, you have taken away my ability to be happy."

"You won't have to worry about that anymore." He said as he offered his hand. "All you have to do is shake my hand and you will forget everything."

"Yeah." I said as I gripped the needle tightly. "And everything will go back to normal." I placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to smile smugly. "I never want to see your face again so long as I live anyway." With one swift motion, I stabbed the needle into Tom's chest causing him to pause unaware of what was happening.

As he looked down, Marco's body fell backwards as Tom separated from him leaving the needle imbedded in Tom's chest. He reached down to pull the needle out only to stare in disbelief at the sight of his own demonic hand. "What did you-"

"SUPPER MURDER BLAST!" Tom was sent flying a good ten feet before groaning and making his way to his knees.

I adjusted my wand to point at him and he held his hand up in defense. "Wait!" He pleaded.

"SUPPER SABER SEVER!" A narrow blast of magic erupted from my wand and sliced off Tom's hand as well as the majority of his arm.

He looked at his newly severed appendage as my wand charged up once more. "Maybe I should leave." He stated before he, and his severed arm, were engulfed in a flame and vanished.

I gave my wand a minute to cool, then I sighed before remembering something important. "MARCO!" I exclaimed as I dropped to my knees to make sure he was all right.

I began to cry tears of joy when I saw that his eyes were open and he was breathing. "Oh Marco." I said as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. "I was so worried about you, I'm just glad I didn't have to lose you too." I began to snuggle him before I realized that he had yet to reply. "Marco?" I asked only to hear nothing.

I loosened my grip slightly and looked him in his somewhat open eyes and my heart almost snapped in two when I couldn't see a spark in them. "No." I whispered. The tears of joy quickly turned into tears of sadness. "Marco, please!" I said as I pulled him close again. "We could have found a solution, we could have made it work, you didn't have to make a deal with a demon." I pressed my forehead against his. "Please … I don't … I don't want to live in a world without you."

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**Ah, what a wonderful ending**

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**To the chapter you fool! Do you honestly think I would end the story there? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get breakfast.**

**Have a nice day.**


	75. Chapter 75

**So here's a new chapter for you all to suffer, I hope you enjoy it because … I'll share that a little later. In any event, it's time to get to the reviews.**

**BlitzKraig: I know, I had a lot of people going.**

**retrofan1: What did I do wrong?**

**SonicELITE: How can I stop using cliffhangers when the story isn't over? Is there actually a way?**

**DonDonatek: Thank you.**

**Finnjr63: Yeah, I pretty much used up all my ammo in this story and don't have much left.**

**Heroaedrianmontilla: She went to Mewni, remember?**

**Kieve Grove: I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!** **I DID IT! I DID IT! IIIII DID IT!**

**Guest: It's not over.**

**Guest Sorta: Lantern my friend, it's a lantern. Not to mention that his body can still die.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Star was hoping he would die, but Tom is a demon so things are different for him.**

**shadowstar618: I will write more when I feel like I've eaten enough.**

**EVAunit42: I will not cause emotional, or physical harm to my friends and readers, that is just beneath me. Tom is super arrogant, isn't he? I'm going to say it's both plus shooting stars with black hoods.**

**Sirleirbag: Well it's good that you have multiple stories to read, it means that you don't have to wait for this one to be updated.**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Star tried to kill him. Tom did that in order to get Marco and Star to have to fight together again, he also did that to make Marco feel week so he would be more willing to accept Monster Arm in addition to making Star realize that she wants Marco to stay away from danger and keep him safe.**

**Guest: I am the enemy of seats everywhere.**

**Guest: Oh, that makes me very happy.**

**EclipsedRaven: Thank you my friend, I hope I can get the next few chapters out a little faster this time. Also, I stopped having Ludo attack because around the time of his third attack, Marco grows a beard aired in which Ludo loses control of his forces so I wanted to stop using him but I did use him a fourth time against Marco meaning that he got scared and is probably waiting for an opening.**

**Justsomeotherguy: But I'm not done with this story yet.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting on my bed in my room at the royal castle hugging my knees as I waited for my dad to return;. Stella had done as I asked and retrieved my father who had brought the entire royal guard with him. They brought me back to Mewni, along with Marco's body and I was currently waiting for some word as to what happened to Marco, or what my parents had planned for me.

When my door finally opened and my parents walked into the room I nearly jumped at them. "What happened to Marco? Is he going to be all right? What's going to happen to me? Am I-"

"Easy." My father interrupted. "Getting all worked up isn't going to solve anything."

I let go of my parents and took a deep breath. "So what happened?"

"We were hoping you would tell us." My mom replied with her ominous stare. "The conditions of both your friends are … interesting to say the least."

"Interesting how?" I asked. "What happened to Marco and Stella?"

My parents looked at each other guiltily. "I think we should show her." My mom noted.

I tilted my head curiously. "Show me what?"

My father let out a sigh. "Follow us."

I did as they asked and followed them through the castle; at first I thought we were headed to the infirmary but I quickly realized that we weren't heading in that direction. "Where are we going?" I asked. "Isn't the infirmary in the other direction?"

"We're not going to the infirmary." My mother replied.

I looked at them, puzzled, until we entered the aquarium, it was only a private aquarium so most of the tanks were only as big as a house and most of the fish were from Mewni, or the dimensions aligned with it. For the most part it hadn't changed much since I was here last, save for one new tank that had only one occupant. "Marcus." I whispered before running up to it, his normal attire was gone, wearing only what appeared to be swim trunks, revealing the numerous burns that he had covering most of his body. He also had that hose like mask that I saw in hospital shows. I placed a hand on the glass as I watched his body float there. "What … why is he in here?"

"He's generating an enormous amount of heat." My father answered as he walked to my side. "We needed to keep it under control so we placed him in a tank for his own protection."

I quickly turned my head and looked at my father. "You mean he's alive?" I asked hopefully.

"For now, yes." He replied, making me cry a little.

"But that might change." My mom interjected. "Especially if what we assume to have happened is actually what happened."

I turned to my mom and looked at her in disbelief. "Marcus isn't a member of that cult." I replied. "Sure, he was working for Tom, but-"

"That's all I needed to hear." My mom replied before turning to the guy pumping oxygen to Marcus. "Stop what you're doing, let him-"

"NO!" I exclaimed as I grabbed my mom's dress. "He was under the influence of a … one of those … the thing that was in Stella and Lannister!"

"We know." My father replied. "We found the mangled corps of one near his body along with a litter of puppies." I looked at him, confused, until I noticed Marcus's stuff right next to the tank; and all of the laser puppies were sleeping around it save for Bagel who was sleeping on top of Marcus's hoodie.

"It doesn't change the facts though." My mom added. "He betrayed you, assisted a demon, and most importantly, he moved against the royal family."

I froze for a moment before turning to my mother. "No he didn't." I began. "Marcus never did anything to hurt me, or try to attack me, the only person his actions were against was …" I froze as I realized what I was doing. "Was Marco."

My dad looked at the man and instructed him to keep peddling for the time being. "But he was still working for Tom." My mom replied. "Which means that he was aiding someone who was moving against the royal family."

"Tom?" I began as I realized that saving Marcus meant defending Tom, the very idea made me want to throw up. I turned to Marcus and made a mental note as to how much he owed me for what I was about to do. "Tom … wasn't initially trying to hurt me."

My father raised an eyebrow at me. "But he attacked you."

"After Stella and I attacked him." I replied as I tried to hold down my breakfast.

"True, true." My mom began. "But there's still the question, why did Tom want Marco's body in the first place?"

I looked at Marcus then back at my mom. "Does it really matter?" I asked. "I mean … Marcus isn't a Mewman so it's not like we can deem him guilty by association without Tom actually straight up trying to kill me."

My mother sighed as my father nodded. "Now what about Marco?" I asked. "Why wasn't he responding before?"

There was a moment of silence in which my parents failed to respond. "He … he's in the infirmary."

I grabbed my parents hands and dragged them to the infirmary as fast as I could, pushing aside anyone in my way as I wanted to get to Marco as soon as possible. When we reached the infirmary, I let go of my parents as soon as I saw Marco and ran over to him. "MARCO!" I shouted as I shoved some healers out of the way. I was about to throw his covers off and pull him into a hug but as I tried, I bumped into something which caused me to fall back. "What the?"

"He's being … restrained." My father said between breaths. "He's been … having flare-ups."

"Flare-ups?" I looked at my father then back at Marco, he looked normal enough at first but as I looked closer I noticed that his shoulders were purple meaning that both of his arms were tentacles. "What happened?"

"Monster Arm's consciousness is gone." My father began. "Silenced, asleep, we're not sure, but the abilities he granted Marco are still very much present." I looked at him, worried. "And what's more … Marco's soul is gone."

I felt my heart break as I fell to my knees, I had thought that Tom had simply possessed Marco and that as soon as Tom was removed, Marco would be back to normal. "We have to find it." I squeezed out as I looked up at my father. "We have to get Marco's soul back."

"There's no point." My mom replied. "Without his soul, his body is shutting down, and without a guiding force, his abilities are tearing him apart."

I quickly shot up and turned to look at my mother. "What do you mean?"

She looked down slightly and bit her lower lip. "His body will be dead by sunset."

I felt my eyes begin to water as I took a step back. "Marco's going to …"

"Star." My father said as he tried to place a hand on my shoulder. Before he could however, I bolted from the room as fast as I could.

"You're not going to die." I said as I held back the tears. "I'm going to save you then we can be together again." When I was a fair distance away, I reached into my star purse for my dimensional scissors but became worried when I couldn't find them. "Where are they?" I asked. I slapped my forehead as I remembered that I gave them to Stella and my father would probably have taken them by now. "How am I supposed to rescue my boyfriend now?" I snapped as I remembered where to find a second pair of dimensional scissors. I ran to the aquarium and looked around for the tank Marcus was in. I quickly found it, along with the guy peddling to try to provide air, grasping for air himself. "Turbo Peddle Cyclone!" A gust of wind caused the man to begin peddling uncontrollably meaning that Marcus wasn't going to suffocate. Once that was taken care of, I made my way over to his belongings and knelt down. "Sorry." I whispered as I gently moved Bagel to the side so I could access his hoodie. I reached into Marcus's hoodie and pulled out his gold dimensional scissors before putting Bagel back. "I just need to borrow them."

I quickly cut open a portal back to Earth and stepped into my room. "Now all I need is that bell." I said before looking through my desk. "Now where did I put it." I looked through the entire desk with no luck and then began to get flustered. "Where is that stupid thing!?" I shouted. As I began searching through piles of stuff, I heard a knock on my door.

"Star?" I heard Mrs. Diaz ask.

"Just a minute." I rushed over and opened the door to see both Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Diaz." I greeted with a smile; trying to make sure they didn't find out what was happening. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know where Marco is?" Mr. Diaz asked. "Or perhaps Stella?"

"They … uh …" I began sweating as I tried to think up an excuse. "They are … at the Amethyst Arcade!" I exclaimed. "Yeah, Marco, Stella, Marcus, and I decided to take it easy after the past few weeks, I just needed to get my … um … my pass for the arcade."

Their worried expressions remained for a moment before turning into smiles. "Well that's good to know." Mrs. Diaz replied. "Just be sure that you're all home by supper time."

"We will." I replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to searching."

They walked away and I gently closed the door. "Now where did I put that stupid bell?" After about five minutes, I got frustrated and pulled out my wand. "Turbo Finder Ray!" A beam of light shot out from my wand and pointed at one of the piles in my room, I quickly dug through said pile until I found the little bell and hammer buried in it. "Finally."

I walked over to my balcony and took a deep breath before ringing it; causing the ground to slip open and a carriage to rise from the crack. It quickly rose to the balcony and extended a plank which I walked across to get to the carriage. "Bottom floor." I said as I took my seat. "And make it snappy."

* * *

**All right, time for some explanation, this chapter was done before I posted the last one and I was just sitting on it for a week thinking, 'How do I do my submission for Weekly Starco prompts.' And now fI need to get to work before I'm late. **

**Have a nice day.**


	76. Chapter 76

**Good morning people who are reading this, I hope you are all excited for what's to come seeing as the hiatus isn't ending any time in the near future, but I digress. Hopefully I should have the next chapter … I'm going to be honest, I have four lines finished for the next chapter at this point so it will take me some time to get it done, I'm sorry. In the meantime though, I must get to the reviews.**

**BlitzKraig: Well I was considering it for a time but I opted against it on account of, I don't want to be cruel, and, I need him to still be alive or someone in another story is going to be heart broken and making her cry is the one thing I just can't do.**

**SonicELITE: I'm curious as to who you're talking about, I mean why do you think someone else is going to die?**

**EVAunit42: Thanks, Tom is pompous and you may or may not see more of that soon. As for my prompt, I'm glad you like it; I'm actually working one as we speak.**

**Finnjr63: Let's hope not any time soon or they won't let him date her.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Thank you.**

**Heroaedrianmontilla: Star is on the trail and she won't stop until she gets her boyfriend back.**

**Kieve Grove: You know I never got the chance to tell you this but the day you posted the review when you said that you cried, I had the worst possible day leading up to that moment, my day had been so bad just so the karma could balance out when I got you too cry. I'm glad finals are over, now you can live the life of someone in the summer.**

**retrofan1: And I will hurt it again.**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: No no, it's not that, to simplify it, it feeds off of ecstasy thus; it needs to force addiction in order to make the host feel it so it can feed off of it.**

**Samathekittycat: Well wait no longer!**

**Guest Sorta: Sadly, it simply doesn't work like that, Star needs to get Marco's soul into his original body or he will never be able to get back into a body ever again and he won't be able to pass into the next life.**

**Guest: Maybe I'll hold off another day, just for you.**

**ilya39: Glad you like it, I just managed to finish this chapter but sadly, this story is coming to an end.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I reached the underworld in good time and now all that was left was to find Tom and get Marco's soul back; the only question remaining was how I was going to do that. "What if Tom didn't leave him alive?" I asked as worry began to overtake me. "What if he left him somewhere else? What if-" I felt something odd, almost like someone's presence only it somehow felt familiar. "Marco." I whispered. It was strange, almost like I could feel his soul in mine, I knew he was in this dimension (or sub dimension, such as it is) and I knew that, for the time being at least, he was still alive.

I followed the feeling, hopping it would lead me to him. Although I had never noticed it before, the area of the underworld I was in looked more like the city known as New York than a wasteland. Buildings that stretched into the sky, various vehicles making loud noises, you know, the usual. I followed the feeling I had to an apartment building that looked very high class. "He's so full of himself." I said as I opened the door. I made my way to the elevator ignoring the stares I was getting from some of the demons in the hall. When I reached the elevator I stopped and turned to a demon that had been looking at me since I walked into the building. "What?' I snapped.

The demon threw his hands into the air and ran off screaming. I shrugged it off and pressed the elevator call button. When the elevator arrived, I selected the button for the top floor and waited. As the elevator started moving I heard what could only be described as nails on a chalkboard like music coming from the speaker. "Nope." I said as I blasted the speaker. The music stopped for a moment before it began playing again. "Okay. Screw this." I blasted a hole through the top of the elevator and pointed my wand towards the floor. "Bunny Rocket Blast!" A huge blast of magic erupted from my wand and propelled me all the way to the top floor where I landed on the small ledge before the door. "TOM!" I exclaimed as I forced the door open and made my way onto the floor. I noticed that I had happened upon a bunch of apartments and mentally sighed. "Can't get away that easy." I said as I began to feel for Marco's soul. I walked down the hall until the feeling was strongest and began banging on the door. "Open up Tom!" I shouted. "I'm going to give you to the count of zero to open this door." I blasted the door open and made my way inside. The apartment was rather small, a kitchen to my right, two doors on my left, and a living room in front of me where Tom was staring at me, in terror, still holding his severed arm.

"Star!" He exclaimed as he began taking a few steps back. "Isn't this a surprise."

I pointed my wand at him as I began walking towards him. "I want Marco's soul, NOW!"

"Is that anyway to greet your ex?" He asked as if making a joke. "You should be thanking me, I was the one who got you and Marco together after all."

"The only reason you even tried to speed that up is because you wanted to steal Marco's body and pretend to be him. So how about I cut you into itty bitty bits and tear your apartment apart as I look for Marco's soul?" I retorted.

"Now there's no need for violence." He replied as he held up his remaining arm in defense. "I just so happen to have it right here." He pulled out a black lantern from the far side of his couch and placed it on his coffee table.

"Marco!" I ran up to it but Tom stepped between me and Marco's soul.

"Touch my lantern and Marco goes bye bye." Tom interjected.

I pointed my wand at him, but hesitated to blast him. "You don't have possession of his soul and you lost possession of his body."

"True, true." He began. "But I've been kind enough to house his soul in one of my spare lanterns, if anyone but the lantern owner touches it then it's contents will disappear. He'll never survive outside of it for more than a few minutes, so I don't think you want to move him."

My wand began to charge up power as I narrowed my gaze. "Then give me the lantern."

"It doesn't work that way Star." He replied with a smile. "If you want me to do something for you, then you must do something for me."

"How about I don't cut the rest of your limbs off and we call it even."

He sighed and placed the lantern between his stub of an arm and his body before garbing the front hatch. "I open this and Marco's as good as gone. You can cut me up all you want, but it won't change that so I suggest you stop with the death threats."

I let out a sigh. "Fine, what do you want for the lantern with Marco's soul still inside?"

Tom smiled. "Why don't you take a guess and we'll see how much I like them?"

I cringed at his smile but I couldn't lose Marco, not here, not now. I needed to think of something that would appease my demon of an ex, or I would never see my boyfriend again. "Well … how about-" I smiled as an idea popped into my head. "My parents think you tried to kill me." I answered. "They think you stole Marco's body in an attempt to assassinate me."

"That's not true." He replied.

"I know." I said with a smile. "But they have their theory which will end with your head cut off and stuck on a spike … oh wait, you'll live through that … maybe they will stick you in Mathew's cell so you can listen to him ramble for the rest of his life."

"You can't be serious!" He replied. "I didn't try to kill you! You know that!"

"But I don't have to tell them." I replied. "But if I can return Marco's soul to Marco's body in time to save him, then I will tell my parents the truth and you will be off the hook."

Tom shook his head. "You can't just hold this over me like that."

"Like you are holding my boyfriend's soul over my head right now!?" I exclaimed. "Or how you manipulated the cult? Or how you manipulated Marcus who is gone now thanks to you!" I clenched my fist in anger as I looked down. "I want you to pay for all that you've done to me, to my friends, to the innocent kids of Echo Creek. Letting you off the hook is beyond what you can hope for at this point Tom." I looked him in the eye as I tried to look as angry as possible. "I suggest you take it before I change my mind."

He thought to himself for a moment. "So … you will let me off the hook … scot-free? I don't have to pay for any of my actions?"

"The more you say it the less appealing it sounds and the less I want to make this deal." I said with a leer.

"Okay, okay." He replied. "I understand, now what do I have to do to get this deal?"

"I have to be able to get Marco's soul back into his body before he passes away." I answered. "Which … won't give you a lot of time."

He gave it a little thought before nodding. "All right, you've convinced me, I give you my lantern, you get Marco's soul back into his body, and I get let off the hook for everything." He held out his hand and smiled. "I … reluctantly agree to your terms."

"Yeah, reluctantly." I replied sarcastically as I shook his hand.

He gave the lantern to me with a smile. "Now you had better hurry, I don't think he'll last much longer."

I took the lantern and turned away. "I don't need you telling me what to do." I retorted.

I made my way out of his apartment and down the stairs, not bothering with the elevator, as quickly as I could. When I got out of the building, I ran back to the carriage and hopped inside before placing the lantern with Marco's flickering soul down next to me. "Back to Earth please." I noted causing the carriage to begin moving.

I looked at the lantern as a small smile formed on my face. "Don't worry Marco; you'll be back in your body in no time." I felt a worried feeling come from his soul. "I know, I was scared for a moment as well."

The carriage quickly reached the surface where I hopped out and onto my balcony. "Thanks for the lift." I said as the carriage began it's decent. I pulled out my dimensional scissors and cut open a portal to Mewni and stepped through. Once in the royal castle, I quickly made my way to the infirmary. There I saw my parents, along with Stella, sitting around Marco's glass cage. One by one, they looked up at me with sad faces. "Please, tell me I'm not too late!"

"He's still with us Star." My father answered. "At least … for the moment."

"Then I shouldn't waste any more time." I said as I walked over to them.

"Star." My mother began. "Without his soul, there's not much that can be done."

"So I've heard." I said as I pointed my wand at the cage. I turned the cage into butterflies before walking up to him.

"Star!" My father exclaimed as he noticed the lantern I was carrying. "Is that what I think it is?"

I didn't answer him. Instead I walked up to Marco and placed the lantern on his chest before griping the hatch. "I hope this works." I slowly opened the hatch and the little flame quickly traveled from the lantern and into Marco's mouth and nose. After a moment, Marco's eyes slowly opened as he looked around. "Marco?" I asked.

"Star?" He replied softly. "That was … incredibly reckless."

I threw my arms around him as I began to cry. "Marco!" I wept. "You're back, you're finally back!"

* * *

**We are coming close to the end here so I have to start thinking about my next story and seeing as people have made it abundantly clear that they would rather not see my OC's again any time soon, I am forced to refrain from my sudo-sequel idea and go for something else. Don't worry though, I will think of something.**

**Have a nice day.**


	77. Chapter 77

**Hi everyone! Did you think I forgot about this story? Because I didn't, I've actually received this chapter from my beta about two weeks ago and I have no idea why I haven't posted it. Point is, this story isn't finished just yet, I still have a few more things to get through in it before moving on to my next one. Now to get to the reviews.**

**ilya39: Well thank you, I never said it was over but thank you.**

**BlitzKraig: Well, I did say sudo-sequile but now that I think about it, that doesn't really fit what I had in mind. And on top of that, it would not feature Marcus and Stella, as a matter of fact, I don't plan on using Stella ever again.**

**retrofan1: Danny Phantom? Yeah, I considered that a very long time ago (and I mean before I even started writing) but I just didn't feel it, still don't sadly.**

**EVAunit42: What's the old saying about devils and running? I can't remember it for some reason. And thank you, I try my best to bring you all the best I can. As for my OC's, I did reconsider in the few weeks I've been absent but I'm not going to write that for a while … at least … not until I finish something else I've been working on.**

**Finnjr63: I will do my best.**

**aliyaperez101: Soon but not yet.**

**Romantic Sloth: I know, I felt like giving you all a break seeing as things are about to end but after writing this chapter, I realize that this won't end for some time more.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: I don't remember if it was a last second decision for it to be a trick or not but I'm happy with the result.**

**arael205: Yet we must all pick up a remote and have fan problems at some point in our lives, it's what makes life worth living.**

**MidnightEclipsed: Really? Well before I can make a sequile I would need to finish another story first and before I write that story I want to finish dra … dra-dru-dre-dro … LOOK A DESTRACTION! *flips table and runs out of the room***

**SonicELITE: Yeah …. Sorry about the recent lack of consistency, as for the rush, it actually was a little rushed seeing as I was trying to finish this story but I'm taking a breather and going to take my time with it from now on.**

**Kieve Grove: I am doing good, thanks for asking.**

**Guest: Oh that? Well yeah, he didn't have that much time left so I couldn't drag it out.**

**003993643667: Why is there a drunken frog with derpy eyes waving it's hands about?**

**Guest Sorta: Yet it's not over just yet.**

**Laura o mine: Yes you do.**

**Joseftanti: Thank you.**

**Wolfee: Well I need to eat, don't I?**

**Doobledoople: Ha ha ha, um no, I am going to make an epilogue but it won't be that.**

**Guest: *Looks to the left and right* what if I told you I was toying with the idea of making this into a shared universe story?**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

* * *

(Star's POV)

I was sitting with Marco as my parents discussed my punishment and Stella left to check on Marcus. "I'm sorry I worried you." Marco said softly. "I really messed this up, didn't I?"

"This wasn't your fault Marco." I told him. "Tom manipulated you from the start; you couldn't have known what would have happened."

"But now, thanks to me, Tom is getting off without any sort of punishment and I feel as though my Monster Arm problem only got worse."

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? I thought Tom silenced him."

Marco lifted his right arm revealing that it had a purplish tint to it and parts of it were changing from an arm into a tentacle and back again. "I don't think taking a driver from the wheel was a good idea."

I placed a hand on it and looked at Marco. "I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it, as for Tom, I already had to cover for him before I made a deal with him."

"What?" Marco exclaimed. "Why on Earth or Mewni would you do that?"

"I needed to save Marcus." Marco gave me a more surprised look as I realized that he wasn't actually present during my fight with Tom. "Marcus saved me and he gave me what I needed to remove Tom from your body. Not to mention he had the mother of all parasites in him, I'm surprised that he made it back alive."

"Parasite?" Marco asked. "You mean like what was in Stella?" I nodded. He looked down. "So he was just as much a tool as we were."

"It would seem so." I replied. "I'm just glad that this is all over."

Both Marco and I were silent for a time until he finally decided to ask the question that was on both our minds. "So what happens now?" He asked.

"I ... I guess … we go home and everything goes back to normal." I placed my hand on top of his and smiled. "Well … almost normal."

Marco smiled for a moment before his smile faded. "I can't control it." He began as his arm continued to change. "Without Monster Arm, there's no one to control the transformation."

"I'm sure that we will come up with something." I replied.

"And what about your parents? Didn't they say that if anything like this ever happened again, they would take you away?"

"Marco." I began as I pressed my forehead against his. "We're safe, the fight is over, and we're together, let's worry about all that later."

Marco paused for a moment before exhaling. "I guess you're right … I mean what's the worst that they can actually do?"

"Ahem." I heard my father exclaim, causing Marco and I to snap to attention. Both my mom and dad were standing there and most likely had come to a decision about my punishment.

"DAD!" I cried. "I did not see you there."

"So we can see." My mom replied. "Star, we need to talk to you."

"About what?" I asked, pretending not to know what they wanted to say.

My father gave me a stern look before adding the phrase. "Alone."

Marco and I looked at each other for a moment before I got up and walked over to my parents. They lead me a fair distance away from Marco. "Do you remember what you agreed to the last time you got into serious danger?" My mom asked.

"Yes." I answered. "But I wasn't … in any actual physical harm."

"We know, but we can't just ignore this." My father added.

"And you can't go changing our agreement!" I retorted.

"And we're not." My father replied. "We just want to make sure that you're safe."

"I am perfectly safe!" I began. "Everything that has happened these past few weeks was all part of Tom's plan to steal Marco's body. That plan has been foiled so there's nothing else to worry about."

"Except his motive." My mother added. "Why did he want Marco's body?"

I looked away as I felt my hands begin to sweat. "I … I don't-"

"Don't try to pull one over on us Star, we know that you and Marco are-" My father paused and turned to my mother. "What's the term they use on Earth?"

"Dating." She replied.

I took a few steps back as I felt my heart stop. "What? When did you hear that?"

"That's not the point." My father noted. "Even though all the trouble has passed, Marco is still dangerous, even if he doesn't intend to be." My father let out a heavy sigh. "As such we don't want you anywhere near him, so long as he is a danger to you."

I felt my heart break as my father relayed his thoughts about Marco, I didn't want to lose Marco, I had come too far and I cared for him too deeply to just let that happen. "I don't care." I replied. "What you 'want' is irrelevant to me, Marco has been more than my friend, he's been my partner for a very long time and love him or not, there's nothing you can do to keep us apart."

"Star." My mom began. "You're overreacting."

"I'm over reacting?" I replied. "Marco has become a part of my life; I can feel his soul right now. So if you want to separate us then go ahead and try because there's nothing in this dimension or any other that can keep us apart." When I was finished and the adrenaline wore off, I felt like I had just made a really stupid move. I had just told off my parents which, in retrospect, wasn't the best way to approach this. I waited for them to respond and try and punish me but nothing happened.

"If that's the case, then there's not much we can do." My father said before walking towards Marco.

I wanted to follow him but my mom placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stop. "He will be fine Star, your father just needs to talk to him." I felt a sense of ease come over me for a moment. "But I'm going to need to have a talk with you about that outburst, and a few other things."

My sense of ease disappeared and was replaced by a sense of dread. "Oh … crap."

* * *

(Marco's POV)

I sat in the hospital bed as I tried to listen in on what Star's parents were talking to her about;. I couldn't hear much, but I did know that it had something to do with taking her away. Eventually Star's father began walking towards me as Star's mother began leading her elsewhere. "How are you feeling Marco?" The king asked as he walked up to me.

"Well I've most definitely been better." I answered. "I feel a lot better than when I was first reunited with my body; so I guess that's something."

"If you didn't want to lose it, why did you give it away?"

"I didn't give it away!" I snapped. I quickly took a deep breath and regained my composure. "Sorry … Tom only said that he would remove Monster Arm from me if I gave him what he removed me from … I didn't expect that he would be removing me from my body all together."

"What did you expect from a demon?"

"I expected that he was trying to pull something else over on me and didn't know that Star and I were dating." I looked away and sighed. "I had no idea that he was trying to force Star and I to get together just so he could steal my body."

"So Tom was the reason you love my daughter?"

"No." I stated. "I … I've cared about Star since the day I met her, and we've only been growing closer since then. Maybe it would have taken a few more years, maybe a few more months, but these feelings I have for her? They aren't because of Tom, they are because of Star."

He was silent for a moment before nodding. "So you wish to keep her safe?"

"That would be impossible." I replied. "She's always looking for something new and exciting, which often means she is looking for danger. I can't keep her away from that, no one can keep her away from that, but what I can do? What I want to do is be by her side as she goes head first into the unknown."

He nodded. "And what about you?" He asked, causing me to look at him, confused. "The danger from the monster inside you is far from passed. It may be silent, but it's still a threat."

I paused as I thought to myself before turning to him. "What could I do?"

He stood there for a moment before answering. "Why didn't you ask sooner? I happen to know of a way that you can get your abilities under control."

I looked at him, dumbfounded. "So I just made a deal with Tom for no reason what so ever then, great."

"No no, it would only work for your abilities, and they are only yours now that the monster is silenced." He replied.

I looked with a feeling of suspension. "Okay … how long will this take?"

"Only a weekend." He answered. "It would take the entire weekend though so you will have to wait until then."

I nodded. "Okay … I give, what's the catch?"

"There's a very real possibility that you will die." He stated as if giving a report.

"Ah, there it is." I replied. "So long as it's nothing to serious."

The king chuckled at the sarcasm in my voice. "Well do you think the risk is worth being with Star?"

I nodded. "I would do anything for her."

"Good." He began to walk away but stopped and turned around slightly. "Oh and one more thing, if you harm my daughter, in any way shape or form, it will be the last thing you ever do." I felt my heart stop as he turned back around and walked off as if nothing happened. I was easily more terrified of Star's father than I was of whatever I would have to do to gain control of my abilities.

* * *

**Okay so first thing's first, I know that I left it open to more chapters but I will end it sooner than that and make the adventure they are about to go on as an epilogue, why? Because the only real conflict I can think to put in it has very little to do with this story. Also I mentioned to a reviewer that I was … considering making this story into a shared universe story, what does that mean? Well a shared universe is where multiple stories or other works take place in the same universe and can have very little to do with each other until they cross paths in the future. The problem with this is what I would need to use to tie them together, which is my OC's, which is why I asked if people wanted to see stories featuring my other OC's. End result, I want to and I've already left a number of hints but like JarJar secretly being a sith lord, no one seems to have noticed, so tell me what you think? Should I, or should I not go through with the shared universe idea?**

**Have a nice day.**


	78. Chapter 78

**And thus, we have the official final chapter. I know there are still a few plot threads to tie up but those don't have much to do with the main story so I will leave those for the epilogue, other than that, this is the final chapter of the main part of this story. I will get more into this later but I just want to get to the reviews.**

**Finnjr63: Well Marco and Star have learned their lesson about trying to protect each other so it's not like they will make that mistake again.**

**BlitzKraig: There's not much more I can do with it, I've been writing this story for over a year so I've exhausted all my ideas for it.**

**acosta perez jose Ramiro: Exactly.**

**EVAunit42: I looked it up, the saying was devils run when a good man goes to way (or maybe it was something else, it's a reference). Tom has been … defeated but he is still very much alive, Star and Marco will never be able to stop fighting but at least they have overcome all their obstacles for the time being. I'm actually going to handle what's happening with Marcus in the epilogue, for the time being, he has more to his story but at the moment he's still beating himself up. You will find out more about River's plan later. I hope you also have an awesome week.**

**SonicELITE: It is more difficult but I've been wanting to do it for some time.**

**Kieve Grove: Oh you liked that? Well you're going to love this chapter, or will you? I don't know.**

**Guest Sorta: Depends on your definition, there is going to be an epilogue but this story officially ends … well I'm going to get into that later.**

**First Last OFFICIAL: Well crying gives me sustenance so thank you very much.**

**Guest: I am flattered.**

**Okaysage: I'm not done with writing my friend.**

**SomeGoldfishGuy: I'm giving you the slow clap right now, I is very impressed.**

**Disclaimer: Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters belong to Daron Nefcy.**

**Stella, Marcus, and story belong to me**

**Beta read by Sabrina06**

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(Marco's POV)

Star and I had finally returned home after what felt like the longest day of my life. "I can't believe it's finally over." She said as the portal closed behind us. "How long has it been since this all started?"

"That depends," I began as we walked into my room. "You mean when we first bumped into Marcus and Stella first moved in, or when you first encountered the cult?"

"The first one."

I sighed as I tried to recount just how long it's been. "I think … six weeks?"

"Is that it?" She asked. "It feels like it's been longer."

"This day feels like it's been longer than six weeks." I added as I sat down on my bed. "But let's be real, we're never going to truly be able to put this whole mess behind us."

Star smiled as she took a seat next to me. "Yeah but at least things can return to some semblance of normal, right?"

I let out a small laugh. "Small semblance, yes, but … not quite yet."

"How do you figure?"

"How am I supposed to kiss my girlfriend without turning into some monster?"

"Does that really matter right now?" She asked. "I already told you, we're a team, and we will get through this as a team." She took my hand in hers as we looked into each other's eyes creating a sense of ease to overtake me. "Right now, that's all that matters. Not Monster Arm, not Tom and not my parents, because whatever troubles we face, we'll do it together." I smiled as she slid onto my lap. She placed her palm on the side of my face as I wrapped my arm around her back. I began to lose myself in her deep blue eyes before she pressed her forehead against mine with a sigh.

"Soon?" I asked.

"I hope so." She replied.

We sat there in each other's embrace until the sound of something shifting caused us both to snap out of our trance. "What was that?" Star asked.

"I think I know." Star got off my lap and we both slowly got to our feet.

I slowly made my way to the door, trying not to make a sound and when I reached it, I threw open the door revealing both of my parents who were no doubt eavesdropping.

"Oh, hi Marco." My mom greeted guiltily.

"Mom, Dad." I replied. "What are you doing?"

"I was … just heading downstairs to get dinner ready." My mom answered before rushing downstairs.

I turned to look at my father, who looked away with a guilty expression. "I … was …"

"Were you eavesdropping on Star and I?" I accused.

"Well, thing is-" He froze for a moment as his expression turned from one of worry to what appeared to be dumbfounded. "Actually, that's not far off. What were you doing, alone, with Star, in your room, with the door closed?"

I paused as I felt the sense that my father had just turned the tables on me. "Well, we weren't doing anything inappropriate or anything like that."

"Oh really?" He asked. "So tell me then, did you think I wouldn't find out about you and Star dating?"

"Find out?" I inquired. "What do you mean … I forgot to tell you and mom, didn't I?"

"You think the old, 'I forgot to tell you' trick is going to work on your father?" He asked as if telling a joke.

"It's not a trick!" I pleaded. "I thought I had already mentioned it."

It was at that moment that I felt Star wrap her arms around me and place her chin on my shoulder. "We're sorry Mr. Diaz, we didn't mean to keep it from you. We're really sorry and we promise it won't happen again."

My father stared at us for a moment before releasing a quick laugh. "Good, and no more closing the door with you two in the same room." He walked downstairs leaving me feeling relieved.

"Thanks Star." I began. "I was scared for a moment."

"Like I said, we're a team." She replied. "Which reminds me, I need to give Marcus his dimensional scissors back."

"All right then." I replied. "Some fresh air might be good."

We made our way downstairs and after I told my parents where we were going, made our way outside. "It sure is nice out." Star noted.

"Yeah." I replied. "So much has changed; it's nice to finally have a chance to take it easy."

"You know, I think you're right." Star replied. "It is nice to take it easy once in a while."

Just then, we heard what sounded like a dimensional portal being cut open and both of us turned around to see Ludo emerging from a portal followed by his minions. "At last, you're finally alone!" He exclaimed. 'No more of those stupid body guards to get in my way of finally taking your wand!"

Star and I shared a smile before taking up our fighting stance. "Some things never change." We said before engaging Ludo and his minions.

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**Now for a little explanation, Star and Marco will never stop adventuring until the end so that's why I decided to end the story here, sure there is still more to do but the center of this story was Tom's scheme and Star and Marco getting together so I felt it best to end the story when all that was dealt with. Sure, like I've said a hundred times now, there will be an epilogue but with this story technically ended, I can start working on my next story. One quick note, my next story will be based off one of my many head cannons that I've been posting and, at the time you are reading this, I've already started work on it. Sure it won't be a part of the shared universe but I can't work on that until … well … until I finish something else.**

**And now … I would like to take a few more moments to thank a few people. Thank you Sabrina06 for being my beta for this story, you don't know how grateful I am, this story wouldn't be where it is today without you. Next I would like to thank my reviewers, if I took the time to thank all of you we would be here all day so off the top of my head I would like to thank EVAunit42, Kieve Grove, BlitzKraig, SonicELITE, Finnjr63, and … to name a few. And last but not least, I would like to thank each and every one of you readers out there who took time to read this story, thank you.**

**Have a nice day.**


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